Halicoides borealis, a new species of Pardaliscidae (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from the northern North Sea

ABSTRACT

A new species of Halicoides from the northern North Sea is described. Species of Halicoides are recorded worldwide and three species have previously been recorded from the North Atlantic. There are records of Halicoides borealis from monitoring surveys of North Sea oil fields where it occurred occasionally in the sediment samples from depths of 90‒133 m. It has previously been overlooked in samples which may be a result of the ecological niche that this species inhabits. H. borealis is characterized by a large ventrally pointed large rostrum, a slender and moderately setose gnathopod 1, the right lacinia mobilis is divided in two finely serrate parts, the third article of mandible palps is about 70% of the second article, the inner plate of the maxilliped is small, coxal plates 3 and 4 are moderately large and the merus and carpus of pereopods 3 and 4 are well-expanded, the posterodistal corner of epimeral plate 1 is rounded and epimeral plate 3 has a tiny tooth and the telson cleft with notched. The male and female antennae 1 and 2 show morphological and length differences. The male antenna 1 has an oval structure on the peduncle and a well-developed callynophore that covers the broad inflated article 1 of the accessory flagellum. Descriptions of taxonomic characters of the new amphipod are given and differences from related species in the North Atlantic are discussed.http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2691F2A8-D562-40C3-A023-FE3D6216523A

KEYWORDS:

• Taxonomy
• epibenthic
• marine amphipod
• Halicoides

Acknowledgements

Material of the new species was collected during North Sea monitoring surveys in Region II commissioned by Norwegian oil companies. We especially thank Dr Michael Thurston (Southampton) for lending us copies of the figures that he has made of the holotypes of H. anomala and H. tertia. We also thank Traudl Krapp/Schickel (Bonn) for preparing some of the microscope slides of H. borealis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Geolocation information

Geolocation of Halicoides borealis (Holotype): 59°10.38ʹN, 02°22.40ʹE, WGS84.