G.O. Sars, 1870
Description
Rostrum longer than carapace, strongly upcurved; nine dorsal teeth (rarely eight), normally three of these behind posterior edge of orbit; six ventral teeth (rarely seven). Dorsal teeth not normally extending into anterior two thirds of rostrum.
Carapace with strong antennal spine and small pterygostomian spine.
Stylocerite broadly rounded, shorter than eye.
Scaphocerite narrowing towards apex, outer border slightly concave; 0.33-0.5 x length of rostrum, apical spine exceeding lamellar portion. Third maxilliped about 0.8 x length of scaphocerite, epipod present. Mandible with molar and incisor processes, and three-segmented palp with lateral lobe on proximal segment.
Pereiopods 1-4 with epipods and arthrobranchs, pereiopod 5 with setobranch. Pereiopod 1 minutely chelate. Second pereiopods asymmetrical: pereiopod 2 right: carpus of five segments; pereiopod 2 left: carpus of 25-30 segments.
Telson with five or six pairs of lateral spines, occasionally different numbers on either side.
Size
Length up to 150 mm, normally less than 100 mm.
Colour
A uniform pale red, with transverse bands of red on pleonites 1-4.
Ecology
Hyperbenthic species, may swim up at night, mostly confined to the nepheloid layer; adults may get caught with pelagic sampling.
It appears that this species is a winter breeder, ovigerous females having been taken in December and February.
Depth range
Down to about 40-2000 m.
Distribution in the North Sea
Northern North Sea; reported from the British east coast.
World distribution
Ranges from Greenland, Iceland, Faeroes and Norway southwards to the Skagerrak and Bay of Biscay. In the north-west Atlantic, its southern boundary is 39°N.
[mainly after Smaldon, 1993]