Nephropsis neglecta Holthuis, 1974

Alves-Júnior, Flavio De Almeida, Araújo, Marina De Sá Leitão Câmara De & Souza-Filho, Jesser F., 2016, Distribution of two species of Nephropsis Wood-Mason, 1872 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Nephropidae) from northeastern Brazil, Zootaxa 4114 (1) : -

Nephropsis neglecta Holthuis, 1974

( Fig. 2 , 3 )

Nephropsis neglecta Holthuis 1974: 792 , fig. 18.— Takeda 1983: 83.— Tavares & Young 2002: 82: fig. 5.— Serejo et al. 2007: 140.

Material examined. Brazil, Potiguar Basin: MOUFPE 15.153 , 1 ovigerous female ( TL 84 mm), 04°45.67'S, 036°38'W, 1108 m, Bpot-Talude MT 71-2 , 20 May 2011 ; MOUFPE 15.154 , 1 female (TL 80 mm), 036°22.72'W, Bpot-Talude MT- 72 , 04°40.93'S, 908 m, 7 May 2011 ; MOUFPE 15.155 , 1 male (TL 105 mm), 04°37.85'S, 036°28.16'W, Bpot-Talude MT-73- 2 , 1006 m, 16 May 2011 ; MOUFPE 15.155 , 1 ovigerous female (TL 140 mm), 04°29.02'S, 036°51.62'W, Bpot- Talude MT-75 , 1000 m, 0 5 May 2011 ; MOUFPE 15.156 , 1 ovigerous female (TL 116 mm), 1 male (TL 82 mm), 04°28.76'S, 036°52.92'W, Bpot-Talude MT 75- 2 , 1110 m, 13 May 2011 .

Geographic distribution. ( Fig. 2 ) Western Atlantic from Florida ( USA) to Guianas, including the Caribbean Sea and Lesser Antilles, Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil: Potiguar Basin (new record) and Espírito Santo ( Holthuis 1974; Takeda 1983; Tavares & Young 2002; Serejo et al. 2007).

Bathymetric distribution. Deep-sea between 655 and 1234 m, but usually between 800 and 1300 m ( Holthuis 1974, 1991; Tavares & Young 2002; Serejo et al. 2007). In this study, specimens were located between 908 and 1110 m.

Remarks. The specimens ranged from 80 to 140 mm TL. They are relatively small, usually taken singly or in pairs, from deepwater (sandy or muddy substrate), so it will probably never be commercially exploited ( Holthuis 1974). The specimens have 8 spines in the center of the carapace decreasing in size to form tubercles towards the base of the rostrum. The absence of a lateral spine on one of the sides of the rostrum was observed in two ovigerous females; the other three specimens have reduced rostral spines. The second abdominal somite has small teeth. Dense pubescence is present on the carapace and cheliped. This specimens were found in low numbers in the Potiguar Basin. Tavares & Young (2002) previously recorded Nephropsis neglecta from Brazil (State of Espírito Santo, 19°39'S, 38°38'W), with samples collected by the program Revizee Score-Central “ Programa de Avaliação do Potencial Sustentável de Recursos Vivos na Zona Econômica Exclusiva ” from Campos Basin between the states of Bahia and Rio de Janeiro, between 1999 and 2000. Coelho et al. (2007) inadvertently listed this species from the state of Bahia, but the correct geographical distribution only applies to the state of Espirito Santo ( Tavares & Young 2002). The current record of the Potiguar Basin from the far north is therefore the second record of N. neglecta in Brazil.

The species of Nephropsis probably have a wider distribution along the Brazilian coast, but due to low sampling effort and difficulty of accessing material from the deep-sea, distribution records remain fragmented. Greater sampling effort and more refined studies in the deep-seas of Brazil are required to increase biological knowledge of these animals.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Geographic distribution of Nephropsis agassizii A. Milne-Edwards, 1880 and Nephropsis neglecta Holthuis, 1974 in the Atlantic Ocean. Black symbols = previous records; gray symbols = new records.

FIGURE 3. Nephropsis neglecta Holthuis, 1974, ovigerous female, TL 84 mm, Bpot-Talude MT 71 - 2, MOUFPE 15. 153. A, dorsal habitus; B, carapace, dorsal view; C, abdomen, right lateral view. Scale bar = 1 cm.