Meningodora mollis Smith, 1882

Alves-Júnior, Flavio De Almeida, Silva, Elinai Dos Santos, Araújo, Marina De Sá Leitão Câmara De, Cardoso, Irene, Bertrand, Arnaud & Souza-Filho, Jesser F., 2019, Taxonomy of deep-sea shrimps of the Superfamily Oplophoroidea Dana 1852 (Decapoda: Caridea) from Southwestern Atlantic, Zootaxa 4613 (3), pp. 401-442 : 420-421

Meningodora mollis Smith, 1882

( Figs. 21 A–B, 22 )

Hymenodora mollis Spence Bate, 1888: 841 , pl. 136, fig. 5. Notostomus fragilis Faxon, 1893: 207 ; 1895: 170, pl. 44, fig. 2b. Notostomus mollis Balss, 1925: 266 , fig. 37.— Chace 1940: 164, fig. 38. Meningodora mollis Smith, 1882: 74 , pl. 11, figs. 8–9, pl. 12, figs. 5–9.—Zariquiey Alvarez 1968: 87.— Kensley 1972: 36 (in key), fig. 161.— Crosnier & Forest 1973: 44, fig. 10c.— Kensley et al. 1987: 285.— Vereshchaka 1990: 139.— Kikuchi 1991: 32, fig. 6.— Pequegnat & Wicksten 2006: 100.

Material examined: 1F, Rocas Atoll, Abracos 2 ST# 53A/ Leg.2, Midwater Tow, 610 m, 03° 48,99’ S / 033° 59,217’ W; 03° 50,05 ‘ S / 033° 58,77’ W, 2 May 2017, MOUFPE: 19.418.

Diagnosis: Integument extremely soft and fragile. Carapace somewhat inflated, dorsal margin evenly convex from rostrum to hind margin. Rostrum showing between 9–10 teeth and not reaching the ocular lobe. A single lateral carina on carapace passing from orbit nearly to hind margin. Branchiostegal spine supported by a short sharp ridge or carina. Rostrum without spines on ventral margin. Abdomen carinate on somites 3–6, fourth, fifth and sixth somite with terminal dorsal tooth; sixth somite about one and two-thirds times as long as fifth. Dactyls of first two pairs of pereopods ending in two small, blunt, unequal teeth between which the fixed finger lies when the fingers are closed (modified from Chace 1940).

Distribution: Western Atlantic: Canada (Terra Nova), USA, Bermuda, Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas, Costa Rica and Brazil: (Fernando de Noronha, off Pernambuco). Eastern Atlantic: Spanish (Bay of Biscay), Portugal (Canary Island), Gabon, Angola. Indo-Pacific Oceans: Somalia, Philippine Islands, China Sea, Panama, Galapagos Islands, Easter Island, Nazca ridge, seamounts Sala y Gòmez ( Spence Bate 1888; Chace 1940; Zariquiey Alvarez 1968; Crosnier & Forest 1973; Vereshchaka 1990; Pequegnat & Wicksten 2006) ( Fig. 22 ).

Bathymetric distribution: This species was found in Brazilian waters between 130–850 m, but its global distribution is between 0–5000 m of depth ( Coutière 1911; Chace 1940; Crosnier & Forest 1973; Kensley et al. 1987; Vereshchaka 1990; Pequegnat & Wicksten 2006).

Remarks: Specimens analyzed herein agree with the description of Smith (1882) and Crosnier & Forest (1973). According to Crosnier & Forest (1973) the specimens collected in Eastern Atlantic ( Gabon and Angola) present the third abdominal somite lacking carina, the same was observed herein in material collected from Brazilian waters ( Fig. 21B ). Meningodora mollis is widespread distributed in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans ( Fig. 22 ), with its first record in Southwestern Atlantic made by Spence Bate (1888) with specimens collected in off Pernambuco ( Brazil), here we report the second observation for this species in Brazilian waters after 130 years.

Figures

FIGURE 21. Meningodora mollis Smith, 1882.A. Female, lateral view. B. Abdomen with somites 4–6 in dorsal view (MOUF- PE: 19.418). Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 22. Global geographic distribution of Meningodora mollis Smith, 1882. Black circles = previous records; star = new record.