Deima validum validum Théel, 1879

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 : 158

Deima validum validum Théel, 1879

Reports for the Azores:

Deima validum Théel, 1879 — $ Gebruk 2008: 50, 51.

Type locality: Pacific ( 36°10’N, 178°00’E).

See: Hansen (1975: 16–23, figs. 1, 109, pl. 9, fig. 1, pl. 13, figs. 1–2); Rogacheva et al. (2013: 595, fig. 18E).

Occurrence: cosmopolitan, in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans; in the Caribbean deep waters to off Rio de Janeiro ( Brazil; Hansen 1975), eastwards from south of the Charlie Gibbs Fracture Zone (Mid-Atlantic Ridge; Rogacheva et al. 2013) and the Rockall Trough ( Tyler et al. 1985a) to southern African deep waters ( 19°13’S; Bohn 2006); the subspecies D. validum pacificum Ludwig, 1894 is restricted to the East Pacific ( Hansen 1975).

Depth: 724– 5,424 m ( Rogacheva et al. 2013); AZO: 2,954 –2,968 m ( Gebruk 2008).

Habitat: epibenthic deposit-feeder on soft sediments, from clay to Globigerina ooze (Hanse 1975, Rogacheva et al. 2013).

Larval stage: possibly direct (non-brooding) or lecithotrophic ( Tyler et al. 1985a).

Remarks: historically, the cosmopolitan Deima validum validum was reported from waters between the Azores and the Iberian continental shores ( e.g., Hérouard 1902, as Deima atlanticum ). Only recently Gebruk (2008) reported this species within the archipelago’s waters, among material collected at the Azorean EEZ’s northern border ( G.O. Sars, MAR–ECO cruise, sta 40/367: 42°55’N, 30°20’W, 2,954 –2,968 m).