Bathynectes, STIMPSON, 1871

Martin, Joel W. & Haney, Todd A., 2005, Decapod crustaceans from hydrothermal vents and cold seeps: a review through 2005, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 145 (4), pp. 445-522 : 498

GENUS BATHYNECTES STIMPSON, 1871 BATHYNECTES MARAVIGNA ( PRESTANDREA, 1839)

Type locality: Mediterranean Sea, Italy, Sicily, near Messina .

Known range: General distribution includes eastern Atlantic Ocean from Norway and the Faroes south to north-western Morocco, Madeira, the Canaries and throughout the Mediterranean at depths of 100– 1000 m, and the western North Atlantic from Massachusetts to Florida ( Manning & Holthuis, 1981; Fariña, Freire & González-Gurriarán, 1997; Abello et al., 2001).

Occurrence at vents or seeps: Restricted to the vicinity of the Menez Gwen hydrothermal site of the MAR, 37°50′N, 850 m ( Biscoito, 1997, in Desbruyeres & Segonzac, 1997: 207).

Material: We are aware of no material collected from the Menez Gwen site (see above). A photograph of this species appears in Biscoito (1997, in Desbruyeres & Segonzac, 1997), a compilation of hydrothermal vent fauna, but it is unclear whether the photograph is of a vent-collected specimen. M. Segonzac (pers. comm.) confirms that no specimen was collected from Menez Gwen, the record being based instead on a video observation in the local bathyal community probably beyond the influence of the vents.

Remarks: This species, a relatively common deep-sea portunid known throughout the eastern north Atlantic, is clearly a vagrant. The only report from vents or seeps is the listing by Biscoito (1997, in Desbruyeres & Segonzac, 1997) close to Menez Gwen, as noted above. M. Segonzac (pers. comm.) has expressed doubts as to the identification based on the above video sequence and may delete the record from his next version of the ‘Desbruyeres and Segonzac’ handbook of vent fauna.