Pint-sized crustacean named after New Zealand brewery to boost interest in marine life

Pentaceration forkandbrewer, a 1.5mm marine isopod named after a brewery in Wellington, New Zealand. The isopod was found in the silty depths off New Zealand’s southern east coast. Photograph: NIWA

New Zealand scientists have named a tiny snowflake-like crustacean after a Wellington brewery, in an attempt to boost the public’s interest in local marine life.

The roughly 1.5mm marine isopod was found in the silty depths off New Zealand’s southern east coast. It helps decompose organic material that drifts to the seabed.