Paranarthrura subtilis Hansen, 1913

Bird, Graham J, 2010, Tanaidacea (Crustacea, Peracarida) of the North-east Atlantic: the Agathotanaidae of the AFEN, BIOFAR and BIOICE projects, with a description of a new species of Paragathotanais Lang, Zootaxa 2730, pp. 1-22 : 14

Paranarthrura subtilis Hansen, 1913

Hansen (1913): 124-125; plate XII fig 4a–d. Stephensen (1932): 351.

Lang (1971b) 373–376; figs 6–7. Bird & Holdich (1989): 158; figs 1g, 9. Brandt (1993): 570.

Guerrero-Kommritz et al (2002): 10. Guerrero-Kommritz (2003): 3.

Larsen (2005): 121, 140.

Identification reference. Hansen (1913), Lang (1971b), Bird & Holdich (1989).

Distribution records from the AFEN, BIOFAR & BIOICE surveys. Recorded from 26 BIOICE samples, from the Denmark Strait, Greenland-Iceland Rise, Iceland Basin, Iceland Shelf (West), Irminger Basin, and Reykjanes Ridge, at depths 164–1099 m. No records from the AFEN and BIOFAR surveys.

Distribution elsewhere. Davis Strait, 582 m ( Hansen 1913); North Feni Ridge to the South Biscay Slope, 1160–1739 m (Bird & Holdich 1989); Kolbeinsey Ridge (north of Iceland), 940 m ( Brandt 1993).

Remarks. The record of a single specimen of P. subtilis from 940 m on the Kolbeinsey Ridge (north of Iceland) by Brandt (1993) is the sole example of the Agathotanaidae from this Polar-influenced region. Otherwise, the species has been recorded in the present study where benthic temperatures are in the range 2–5o C (mode 4o C). A considerable shallowing of the recorded upper bathymetric is evident, from 582 m to 164 m (on the West Icelandic Shelf).

It is sometimes abundant in samples, with three stations where over one hundred specimens have been collected: 313 specimens in BIOICE Stn 2427 ( Iceland Basin, 778 m), 114 specimens in BIOICE Stn 2415 ( Iceland Basin, 819 m) and 109 specimens in BIOICE Stn 2873 (Irminger Basin, 555 m).