(Bell, 1855)
Description
Female body of very robust form, and thickly covered all over with short plumose hairs, anterior division considerably fumefied and broadly oval in form, with the dorsal face boldly arched. Carapace large and deep, fully twice as long as the exposed part of the trunk, and greatly vaulted above, surface without any spines or denticles; pseudorostral projection rather produced, conical, horizontal, subrostral corners obsolete. Last pedigerous segment with the lateral parts scarcely produced behind. Tail (exclusive of the terminal appendages) somewhat shorter than the anterior division, lateral corners of the five anterior segments much produced, spiniform.
Eye inconspicuous superior antennae with the first joint of the peduncle very large, much longer than the other two combined, and clothed at the tip with numerous long plumose setae, last joint shorter than the second. Inferior antennae with the terminal joint unusually large, conically produced. apical seta very much elongated.
First pair of legs scarcely longer than the carapace, basal joint almost attaining the length of the remaining part of the leg, and spinulose in its distal part, being moreover fringed with numerous long plumose setae, the last three joints not very different in length; second pair with the basal joint rather large and curved, being minutely denticulate outside, and fringed along the lower edge with a dense row of long plumose setae, antepenultimate joint longer than the last two combined; third and fourth pairs comparatively strongly built and densely setiferous, basal joint partly denticulate.
Uropods with the rami subequal in length, and about half as long as the stem, inner ramus mucronate, with the joints imperfectly defined, spinules of the inner edge about 12 in number and, like those of the stem, unusually slender, setiform.
Telson long, with two end spines, postanal part narrowed, with several pairs of lateral spines. Telson rather produced, reaching as far as the stem of the uropods, proximal thickened part comparatively short, distal part armed on each side with numerous slender, setiform spinules, amounting to 20 in all, apical spinules very small.
Size
Length about 25 mm.
Colour
Whitish.
Ecology
Shelf to bathyal. Found on a bottom consisting of very soft clay, with which the specimens were generally thickly covered.
Depth range
Down to 120 m.
Distribution in the North Sea
Skagerrak.
World distribution
Arctic Ocean, polar islands of North America, Greenland, Jan Mayen, Spitzbergen, Barents Sea, Kara Sea, Siberian Polar Sea.
[After Sars, 1900]