NEW RECORD OF THE GIANT DEEP-SEA ISOPOD BATHYNOMUS MIYAREI LEMOS DE CASTRO, 1978 (CRUSTACEA: CIROLANIDAE) FROM NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL

Abstract

Isopods from the Cirolanidae family are scavenger species that occur both in temperate and tropical regions, in deep waters of all seas. One of the genres of the Cirolanidae family is Bathynomus, which includes large species, up to 50 cm length, mainly inhabiting deep sea from 200 to 2100 m depth. The first record of the giant deep-sea isopod Bathynomus miyarei in Brazilian waters was made by Lemos de Castro (1978), who described its distribution as spanning from Rio Grande do Norte to Rio Grande do Sul, in depths ranging between 80 to 800 m. In Northeastern Brazil, the specie was recorded from Piauí, Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte, and from Bahia. This last record was made during the REVIZEE Program (Program for the Assessment of the Living Resources of Brazilian Economic Exclusive Zone). Recent samples caught off Pernambuco State adds a new site of occurrence for this species, enlarging its distribution. Specimens of B. miyarei were caught in the upper slope of the continental shelf of Pernambuco State, Northeastern Brazil, by baited traps, set at depths ranging from 300 to 500 m. Collected specimens were photographed immediately after boarding, being then labeled and stored in ice, for posterior examination in the Fisheries Oceanography Laboratory, of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, of UFRPE. Identifications were made following the descriptions made by Lemos de Castro (1978) and Magalhães & Young (2003). Bathynomus miyarei is characterized by a reduced number of spines (9) in the posterior margin of pleotelson, while B. giganteus have 13 spines, and B. obtusus have 7 great spines in the medial region, followed by 2 little lateral spines. This species was described by Lemos de Castro (1978) with a discontinuous distribution off Brazilian coast (Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte e Rio Grande do Sul). Cintra et al., (1998) extended its distribution from off Amapá e Pará, North Brazil, and Soto & Mincarone (2001) recorded the species off Santa Catarina, South Brazil, indicating its occurrence throughouth the entire Brazilian coast. These new samples confirmed its presence in the continental shelf of Pernambuco.