Bathynomus yucatanensis was jointly published as a new species of Bathynomus by Dr. Ming-Chih Huang, Associate Professor at the National University of Tainan Department of Biological Sciences and Technology, Taiwan (ROC), Dr. Tadashi Kawai, President of the International Association of Astacology, and Nile L. Bruce, Honorary Researcher of invertebrates at the Queensland Museum of Australia.

The specimen was preserved at Japan’s Enoshima Aquarium, and was later acquired by Dr. Ming-Chih Huang of National University of Tainan’s Department of Biological Sciences and Technology for identification and comparison purposes.

The nucleotide sequences of two genes, the COI (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1) and 16S rRNA, were used to compare the two specimens through molecular biotechnology.

The specimen was later confirmed as a new species after being peer-reviewed and jointly-identified by Dr. Tadashi Kawai, President of the International Association of Astacology, and Nile L. Bruce, Honorary Researcher of invertebrates at the Queensland Museum of Australia.

The specimen was named after the location of its original discovery, the Yucatán Peninsula of the Gulf of Mexico.