New Delhi: A new species of lobster (Squat lobsters) discovered in a relatively unexplored area of the Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, off the coast of South Africa, in 2011 has been named as Munidopsis mandelai in honour of the South African revolutionary leader Nelson Mandela.Munidopsis was found to live 750 metres below the ocean's surface and is very small, with a carapace measuring just seven millimetersThe new species was found by Diva Amon, a PhD student based at the Natural History Museum, London, who was taking part in a study about submerged wood and whale bone.Squat lobsters are flattened crustaceans with long tails held curled beneath the thorax.They are more closely related to the hermit crab than lobsters. More than 900 species have been described, in around 60 genera.The body of a squat lobster may be divided into two main regions: the cephalothorax (itself made up of the cephalon, or head, and the thorax), and the pleon or abdomen.They are distributed worldwide in the oceans and can live near the surface or close to deep sea hydrothermal vents.Squat lobsters resemble true lobsters in some ways, but are somewhat flattened and are typically smallerMost squat lobsters spend their lives on the sea floor.They feed on a variety of foods, with some species filter feeding, while others are detritus feeders, scavengers or predators.
