Munidopsis abyssicola Baba, 2005

Macpherson, Enrique & Segonzac, Michel, 2005, Species of the genus Munidopsis (Crustacea, Decapoda, Galatheidae) from the deep Atlantic Ocean, including cold-seep and hydrothermal vent areas, Zootaxa 1095 (1), pp. 1-60 : 7-8

Munidopsis abyssicola Baba, 2005

Munidopsis abyssicola Baba, 2005: 128 , 284, figs 50, 51.

Munidopsis sp. —de Saint Laurent, 1985: 475.

Munidopsis convexa Noël, 1992: 94 (nomen nudum).— Udekem d’Acoz, 1999: 167. Material examined. Bay of Biscay, NORATLANTE, Stn 45­B16, 45º35’N, 03º51’W, 4152 m, 28.10.1969: 1 male 34.0 mm. Off Namibia, WALDA, Stn CY04, 21º59’S, 09º20’E, 4163 m, 09.06.1971: 1 female 30.5 mm. NE Atlantic, AMK­47, Stn 4422, 48º07’N, 16º08’W, 4670 m, 02.08.2002: 1 female 44.5 mm.

Remarks. This species was recently described by Baba (2005) from one ovigerous female collected in the Kermadec Deep (southwest Pacific) at 4520 m. The specimens from the Atlantic Ocean agree quite well with the original description. However, the three specimens examined have one antennal spine on each side of the front margin of the carapace, whereas these spines are absent in the holotype. This difference is considered to be intraspecific variation, although additional material from the type locality is needed to confirm this assumption.

Munidopsis abyssicola belongs to a group of species with some gastric spines, rostrum without pair of lateral spines, segment 6 of the abdomen having the posteromedian lobe strongly produced, extending beyond lateral lobes, the eyestalk short, with an eye spine on the mesial end of the eyestalk, the fixed finger of the chelipeds without a denticulated carina on the distolateral margin, the first pair of walking legs over­reaching the end of chelipeds, dactyli of walking legs not cristate on the lateral and mesial faces; epipods absent on chelipeds and walking legs.

The present records extend the known range of the species to the Atlantic Ocean. The specimen collected during the NORATLANTE cruise was identified as Munidopsis sp. by de Saint Laurent (1985) (see Udekem d’Acoz 1999, p. 167, under M. convexa Noel, 1992 , nomen nudum).