Teemo

Lore & Background

Gothus teemo is named after Teemo, a champion in the multiplayer online battle arena video game League of Legends. The crab's small size, brown stripes and dense covering of setae were compared to the short stature and fluffy brown and white fur coat of the raccoon-inspired character. It is the first animal species to be named after a League of Legends character. The genus name Gothus refers to the game of Go, owing to similarities of the carapace patterns and granules with a Go board and stones. The suffix -thus is common in xanthid genera.

In Their Own Story

All known specimens of Gothus teemo are less than 1 centimetre (0.39 in) in carapace width, with the holotype measuring 3.7 millimetres (0.15 in). The body is white to coral pink, with the carapace, legs and chelipeds bearing symmetrical brown to black stripes. The anterior carpus of the chelipeds are red, while the fingers are brown to black. The carapace, covered in small round granules, is one and a half times longer than it is wide, and divided into two triangular lobes by a V-shaped notch. The body is densely covered in short setae, giving the crab what has been described as a fluffy appearance.

Reader's Guide

Gothus teemo is the type species of the genus Gothus, forming a clade with its other species Gothus consobrinus in all phylogenetic analyses. G. teemo is distinguished from G. consobrinus by, among other traits, more pronounced carapace regions bearing tufts of setae, as well as a fully reduced first tooth on the carapace margin. The genus belongs in the family Xanthidae, although its exact placement is uncertain. The species is known to inhabit crevices inside shallow coral reefs. Specimens have been found on Triton Island in the Paracel Islands and Mischief Reef of the Spratly Islands, both in the South China Sea.

Did You Know?

• Gothus teemo is the first animal species to be named after a League of Legends character.
• The species was discovered in 2024 by Zi-Ming Yuan, Wei Jiang, and Zhong-Li Sha.
• All known specimens are less than 1 cm in carapace width; the holotype measures just 3.7 mm.
• The genus name Gothus refers to the board game Go, due to carapace patterns resembling a Go board and stones.
• Specimens have been found on Triton Island in the Paracel Islands and Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands, both in the South China Sea.