First finding of the family Amathillopsidae (Amphipoda: Amphilochidea) in the gulf of Mexico, with the description of a new species

Abstract

The genus Amathillopsis Heller, 1875 represents a group of 13 species of amphipods that live predominantly in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Many amathillopsids inhabit both mesopelagic, bathyal, and abyssal zones. We describe Amathillopsis colemani n. sp., a new species of marine deepwater amphipod collected at 1200 meters depth. This is the first record of the family Amathillopsidae for the Gulf of Mexico. The new species possesses similar characteristics to other members of the genus. Still, it differs from all other species in terms of the presence of eyes, accessory flagellum of antenna 1 unarticulate, telson notched, and characters in the lacinia mobilis of the mandible. The finding of A. colemani n. sp., emphasizes that new species of amphipods exist in deep-sea habitats and that associations between crustaceans and deep-sea invertebrates need further investigation.