Standardization and revision of morphological structures terminology for Glyphocrangonidae (Decapoda: Caridea).

Glyphocrangonidae includes 96 species in one genus, Glyphocrangon A. Milne-Edwards, 1881 and this genus was divided into four informal species groups. This family has a complex morphology with many ornamentations on the body. Some papers tentatively standardized the group's nomenclature, but it still presents understanding problems as one structure being called of three distinct names, for instance. Here, we are standardizing the nomenclature of Glyphocrangonidae based on the homologous structures that describe the group.

Taxonomic status of the amphi-Atlantic species Plesionika acanthonotus (Caridea: Pandalidae): a multi-locus and morphological approach.

Deep-sea shrimps of the species Plesionika acanthonotus (Smith, 1882) and P. holthuisi Crosnier Forest, 1968 are morphologically similar and exhibit overlapping amphi-Atlantic distributions. In the literature, through morphological studies, there are reports of doubts about the validity of P. holthuisi and some authors believe that the eastern and western Atlantic populations of P. acanthonothus could represent two distinct species. The objective of the present study was to use molecular data to elucidate the taxonomic status of the two populations of P. acanthonothus. DNA sequences of two mitochondrial genes (16S rDNA and Cytochrome Oxidase subunit I) and a nuclear gene (Histone 3) were obtained for both species and for both populations of P. acanthonotus. The sequences were also obtained from Genbank for comparison. The trees (separate and multi-locus/partitioned genes) were generated by Bayesian Inference analyzes, and genetic divergence (Kimura-2-parameters) was also calculated. All specimens that had their DNA sequenced were examined morphologically to confirm their identification; morphological variations were noted. The genetic data showed that Plesionika holthuisi is closely related to P. acanthonotus, but clearly separated, indicating that P. holthuisi is a valid species. In the multi-locus analysis, the P. acanthonothus specimens were divided into two clades, one with the eastern Atlantic specimens and another with the western Atlantic specimens. However, this genetic separation was considered to be a population structuring for three reasons: (1) the genetic divergences of the two mitochondrial genes between these two groups (eastern Atlantic X western Atlantic) were smaller than the interspecific divergence for Plesionika; (2) the P. acanthonothus sequences of the Histone 3 gene showed no genetic variation; (3) in the analyzed individuals, no valid morphological character was found to support this separation. Thus, the conclusion of this study is that P. holthuisi probably is a valid species and P. acanthonothus presents two populations with mitochondrial divergences that could be in the process of speciation, but which currently represent only one species.

First record of four Pasiphaea Savigny, 1816 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Pasiphaeidae) species from the southwestern Atlantic.

New records of Pasiphaea from the Southwestern Atlantic are reported. The material was sampled during the oceanographic projects REVIZEE and HABITATS and four species were collected: Pasiphaea alcocki (Wood-Mason, 1891); P. major Hayashi, 2006; P. taiwanica Komai et al., 2012 and P. tarda Krøyer, 1845. An identification key for the seven currently reported species of southwestern Atlantic Pasiphaea is provided.

A new species of Pasiphaea Savigny, 1816 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Pasiphaeidae) from the southwestern Atlantic.

The genus Pasiphaea Savigny, 1816 (Caridea: Pasiphaeidae) includes 71 species, of which vast majority inhabit in the meso or bathypelagic zones in the world oceans. A new species is described herein, sampled during the project "ABRACOS 2" (Acoustic along the BRazilian COast) nearby the Rocas Atoll and Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, in Brazilian waters. Pasiphaea antea n. sp. appears close to Pasiphaea dorsolineatus Komai Chan, 2012 described from off Hawaii, but is distinguished from the latter by the different shape of the rostrum, the mid-dorsal line of the carapace sharply carinate in the anterior half, and the possession of more numerous spiniform setae on the meri of the pereopods 1 and 2. This is the third species known from the southwestern Atlantic.

A new species of Eupasiphae Wood-Mason Alcock, 1893 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Pasiphaeidae) from the southwestern Atlantic.

The pasiphaeid shrimp genus Eupasiphae Wood-Mason Alcock, 1893 (Caridea: Pasiphaeidae) currently includes four bathypelagic species: Eupasiphae latirostris (Wood-Mason, 1891), E. gilesii (Wood-Mason, 1892), E. serrata Rathbun, 1902 and E. paucidentata Crosnier, 1988. The present work describes a further new species, Eupasiphae ostrovski n. sp., on the basis of material sampled at the continental shelf and slope of the Central Brazilian coast at depths of 200 - 2000 m. The new species is somewhat similar to E. paucidentata, only known from Madagascar, but can be easily distinguished from all other congeneric species by the number and shape of lateral carinae at carapace and by the middorsal carina of the carapace being without teeth anteriorly and with 0-3 posteriorly. The new species is the first Eupasiphae representative known from the southwestern Atlantic.

An overview of the genus Plesionika Bate, 1888 (Decapoda, Caridea, Pandalidae) in Asian waters.

The pandalid genus Plesionika Bate, 1888 includes 93 species and has a widespread distribution including mainly subtropical and tropical waters and some temperate waters, but most species can be found in the Indo-West Pacific. The species of this genus are benthic or nektobenthic, feeding on pelagic and benthic resources. Up to the present, the occurrence of 45 species of the genus has been reported from Asian waters. However, studies on these species from this region are mainly concerning their taxonomic report and very less their biology. Herein a key for the 45 Asian Plesionika species, and brief notes on its taxonomy are provided.

Nematocarcinus Milne Edwards, 1881 (Crustacea, Decapoda) from Southwestern Atlantic, including the Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge area.

The deep sea shrimp genus Nematocarcinus Milne Edwards, 1881 includes 47 species, ten of them have been recorded from the Atlantic Ocean. Herein, material sampled during three scientific projects (REVIZEE Central Fishery project; Campos Basin Deep Sea Environmental Project; Evaluation of Environmental Heterogeneity in the Campos Basin) made in the Southwestern Atlantic, off Brazil, is examined. In addition, material sampled from the South Mid Atlantic Ridge (MAR-ECO Project) was also examined. Four species are recorded for the first time to the southwestern Atlantic Ocean including Mid Atlantic Ridge area: Nematocarcinus faxoni Burukovsky, 2001; N. gracilipes Filhol, 1884; N. rotundus Crosnier & Forest, 1973 and N. tenuipes Spence-Bate, 1888.

A new Munidopsis species (Galatheoidea, Munidopsidae) from the Southwestern Atlantic.

Six Munidopsis species are recorded to the Southwestern Atlantic: M. barbarae; M. erinacea; M. nitida; M. sigsbei; M. riveroi and M. transtridens. Herein a new Munidopsis species from Southwestern Atlantic is described: Munidopsis trindadensis sp.nov., was sampled off Trindade Island (Espírito Santo, Brazil) at 360 m depth and differs from all six species previously recorded in this region by the telson with seven plates.

Redescription of Odontozona edwardsi (Bouvier, 1908) (Decapoda: Stenopodidea: Stenopodidae) and description of a new species of Odontozona commensal on the deep-water coral, Lophelia pertusa (Linneaus, 1758).

Odontozona edwardsi, a rare stenopodid shrimp from deep waters of the northwest African coast off Morocco and Western Sahara is redescribed and figured based on type material and an additional 26 specimens including some from the Gulf of Cadiz and off Roscoff, France. Specimens of another Odontozona from the Gulf of Mexico, off Sapelo Island, Georgia, and off Rio de Janeiro, Brazil have been confused with O. edwardsi and O. spongicola. This Odontozona is associated with the deep sea hard coral Lophelia pertusa and is herewith designated as a new species. Both these Atlantic species of Odontozona are distinguished from the deep-water Pacific O. spongicola as well as the recently described southwestern Atlantic O. meloi by several morphological characters. A key to the Atlantic species of Odontozona is presented.