A new species of freshwater Crustacea has been discovered during an expedition of the desert Lut, known as the hottest place on Earth.
The newly identified species belongs to the genus Phallocryptus of which only four species were previously known from different arid and semiarid regions.
Dr Hossein Rajaei from the Stuttgart State Museum of Natural History and Dr Alexander V Rudov from Tehran University made the discovery during an expedition of Lut to better understand the desert’s ecology, biodiversity, geomorphology and paleontology.
Further scientific examinations of the specimens by co-author Dr Martin Schwentner, Crustacea specialist from the Natural History Museum of Vienna, stated that they belong to a new species of freshwater Crustacea.
Read more at: Taylor & Francis Group
A new species of freshwater Crustacea has been discovered during an expedition of the desert Lut, known as the hottest place on Earth. (Photo Credit: M. Pallmann SMNS / Pallmann)