“Parandaniexis dewitti n. sp.
Material.—Islas Orcadas Cruise 575, Sta. 38, 22 May 1975, 57° 00.4'S, 26°10.1'W, 2,740-2,757 m, 2 holotype 42 mm, with eggs, USNM 173594; paratype 32 mm, USNM 173595.
Diagnosis.—Body with strong mid-dorsal carinae on pleonites 1-3, elongate, thin, mid-dorsal tooth on urosomite 1; antenna 1 basal flagellar article only slightly longer than peduncle; pereopod 4 subchelate, propodus with slight proximal lobe on ventral margin.
Description.—Ovigerous female. Head submerged in pereonite 1. Eye lacking. Body with strong mid-dorsal carinae on pleonites 1-3. Urosomite 1 with mid-dorsal elongate curved tooth. Epimeral plates 2 and 3 posterodistal corner acutely extended. Coxa 1 anteroventral corner subacute, posterior margin rounded. Coxa 2 subacute distally; coxae 3 and 4 anterodistal margins convex distally, posterodistal margins concave distally, both plates ventrally subacute.
Antenna 1 peduncle slightly shorter than basal flagellar article; uniarticulate accessory flagellum extends more than halfway along basal flagellar article; main flagellum of 6 articles. Antenna 2 peduncle article 5 as long as flagellum; article 4 very short, as long as wide. Upper lip twice as wide as high, emarginate. Mandible incisor smooth, accessory tooth sub-triangular, present in left mandible only. Lower lip lobes broadly rounded, with dense covering of fine setae. Maxilla 1 palp biarticulate, extending beyond outer plate; palp second article armed with short, stout setae along apex and distal half of medial margin; outer plate armed with elongate heavy spines; inner plate with 11 elongate, less robust setae. Maxilla 2 inner plate 3 times as wide as outer plate; outer plate distal setae non-plumose. Maxilliped palp 4-articulate, article 2 not produced, articles successively decreasing in length and width, outer plate broadly ovate, armed with short setae; inner plate short, reaching base of palp, medial margin armed with elongate setae. Gnathopods 1 and 2 simple; gnathopod 1 articles 5 and 6 subequal in length; gnathopod 2 article 6 longer than article 5. Pereopod 2 subchelate; propodus ventral margin excavate, bearing small proximal pro tuberance with continuous row of short setae; articles 5 and 6 subequal. Pereopods 5 and 6, article 2 slender; pereopod 6 article 6 slightly longer than article 4. Pereopod 7 article 2 broad, tapering distally. Telson entire, apically subacute.
Etymology.—The species is named in honor of Dr. H. H. DeWitt, Chief Scientist for the cruise during which the specimen was collected.
Distribution.-South Sandwich Islands.
Remarks .-The subchelate pereopod 4 and the morphology of the mouth-parts unquestionably places this species in the genus Parandaniexis. It differs from the only other known species, P. mirabilis Schellenberg by the shorter basal flagellar article of antenna 1, curved and acutely tapering coxaen3 and 4. large carinae on pleonites 1-3, and small ventral lobe on pereopod 4 propodus. The outline of the body is remarkably similar to that illustrated for Andaniexis spinescens (Alcock 1894). The latter species, originally placed in the genus Andania by Alcock, was moved to the genus Andaniexis by Stebbing (1906). It was so incompletely described, however, that its precise affinities are impossible to establish.”
(Watling & Holman, 1980: 651-653)
