It is no exaggeration to say that the “ultra-deep sea”—at depths exceeding 6,000 meters—is a realm dominated by asellotes (as well as sea cucumbers, bivalves, and other organisms).
While the suborder Asellota comprises over 3,000 described species, it is estimated that the actual number of species, including undescribed ones, could be several times that figure. This taxonomic group exhibits a wide variety of forms and ecologies, ranging from round to flat, and from swimming to burrowing. How these forms have evolved in the deep sea and what significance they hold remains largely unknown. My research uses taxonomic methods to elucidate the true species diversity of this group and to uncover the evolutionary mechanisms by which organisms have adapted to the ultra-deep sea, expanding both their species richness and geographic range.