Scientists discover a new crustacean species in one of the hottest places on Earth

A new species of freshwater Crustacea has been discovered during an expedition of the desert Lut, known as the hottest place on Earth. (M. Pallmann SMNS / Pallmann)

TORONTO — Scientists have discovered a brand new species of crustacean, living in a temporary lake in a desert that has recorded some of the hottest temperatures on the planet.

Described in a paper published last month in Zoology in the Middle East, the new freshwater crustacean is smaller than a standard paperclip and almost transparent.

It also was found in a desert where NASA satellites once recorded a surface temperature of 70.7 degrees Celsius.

Finding this miniature marvel was “sensational,” Dr. Hossein Rajaei of the Stuttgart State Museum of Natural History, said in a press release.

The new species was discovered by Rajaei during an expedition to the Lut desert (Dasht-e Lut) in Iran, which was focused on understanding more about the region’s biodiversity and environment.

Rajaei, as well as Dr. Alexander V. Rudov from Tehran University, took samples from a seasonal lake in the southern part of the desert, and found the tiny creature there.

The new species isn’t named after either of the biologists, however. They named the new species Phallocryptus fahimii, in honour of Iranian herpetologist and conservation biologist Hadi Fahimi, who took part in the expedition to Lut in 2017. He died in an airplane crash in 2018.

Phallocryptus fahimii is an example of extreme resilience, life on the edge.

The lake in which this delicate crustacean was found is a temporary thing. Shallow pools of water are formed in parts of the desert by seasonal floods after spring rainfall. Annual precipitation in the region never exceeds more than 30 mm per year, and there are no bodies of water that are there year-round.

So how do these freshwater crustaceans survive, if their main habitat is missing most of the year?

Co-author Dr. Martin Schwentner, a crustacea specialist from the Natural History Museum of Vienna, explained that these species are designed for this.

“These Crustaceans are able to survive for decades in the dried-out sediment and will hatch in an upcoming wet season, when the aquatic habitat refills,” he said in the press release. “They are perfectly adapted to live in desert environments. Their ability to survive even in the Lut desert highlights their resilience."

The Lut desert is the second largest desert in Iran, at around 51,800 km squared, which is bigger than all of Switzerland.

What sets it apart from surrounding arid regions is its “extreme weather conditions,” the study said. After NASA measured record-breaking temperatures on the surface in 2006, it was called the “Thermal pole of the Earth.” Recently, that temperature has risen, with the most recent satellite temperature measurements clocking in at 80.8 degrees Celsius on the surface.

“Dark pebbles that heat up are one of the causes of these record temperatures,” the release said.

The air temperature in the region, while not as scorching as the ground itself, is also up there, reaching more than 50 degrees Celsius in the summer.

Phallocryptus fahimii is now the fifth recognized species within the genus Phallocryptus. Researchers noted that morphological and genetic differences set it apart from other species in that genus, making it clear to them that this was a new discovery.

The larger female of the new species is around three centimetres long, while the male specimen is around 2.25 cm. Its lack of pigmentation makes it appear almost like a ghost.

Although the desert has more biodiversity than many would imagine, these tiny crustaceans are still a rare find, as aquatic life in this blazing hot desert is, understandably, “highly limited.”