Psychropotes semperiana Théel, 1882

Madeira, Patrícia, Kroh, Andreas, Cordeiro, Ricardo, De, António M., Martins, Frias & Ávila, Sérgio P., 2019, The Echinoderm Fauna of the Azores (NE Atlantic Ocean), Zootaxa 4639 (1), pp. 1-231 : 146

Psychropotes semperiana Théel, 1882

Reports for the Azores:

Psychropotes kerhervei $ Hérouard, 1902: 27–30 , pl. 4, figs. 1–9; Perrier 1902: 287; Nobre 1938: 172;

Euphronides kerhervei ( Hérouard, 1902) — Mortensen 1927a: 375;

Psychropotes semperiana Théel, 1882 — $ Hansen 1975: 102–105, figs. 41–42; Pérez-Ruzafa et al. 1992a: 173.

Type locality:? South Atlantic .

See: Théel (1882: 100–101, pl. 34, figs. 10–11); Hansen (1975); Bohn (2006: 4, 10–12, figs. 2B–E, 5).

Occurrence: cosmopolitan, in Atlantic and Indian Oceans ( Hansen 1975); in the Caribbean south to the Mid- Atlantic Ridge, east of Tristan da Cunha (35°41’S, 20°55’W; Théel 1882) and eastwards from the Porcupine Abyssal Plain ( Gebruk et al. 1997) south to the Angola Basin (22°27’36”S, 03°27’54”E; Bohn 2006), including the Azores and Canaries archipelagos ( Hérouard 1902, 1923).

Depth: 2,695 –5,610 m ( Hansen 1975, Bohn 2006); AZO: 5,005 m; Hérouard 1902).

Habitat: benthopelagic (juveniles; Gebruk et al. 1997); soft sediments, from sandy mud to Globigerina ooze ( Perrier 1902, Hansen 1975).

Larval stage: direct ( Tyler & Billett 1987).

Remarks: Hérouard (1902) described Psychropotes kerhervei based on two individuals collected by Princesse Alice in the easternmost waters of the archipelago (sta 749: 39°54’N, 21°06’45”W, 5,005 m). Later Hérouard (1923) identified specimens belonging to this species among the material collected by Princesse Alice at two further stations, one located near Tenerife (Canaries, sta 1757) and the other between the Azores and Portugal (sta 1306). Hansen (1975) re-examined animals belonging to Psychropotes kerhervei , including the material identified by Hérouard (1902, 1923), and established the synonymy with P. semperiana .