Nephropsis agassizii

A. Milne Edwards, 1880

Diagnosis
Rostrum with two pairs of lateral teeth. Pleura of second abdominal somite with one or more spines on anterior margin. Abdomen without mediodorsal carina. Telson about as long as wide. Exopod of uropod without diaeresis.

Type:
Type locality: "détroit de Floride, à 1500 mètres de profondeur" cited by A. Milne Edwards (1880) probably is erroneous and should be "Blake" Station 33, north of Yucatan Bank, 24°01'N 88°58'W, 2560-2870 m (see Holthuis, 1974: 799-800). Whereabouts of type specimen unknown.

Geographical Distribution:
Western Atlantic: Bahama Islands, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, Tobago and off São Paulo, Brazil.

Habitat and Biology:
Deep sea between 878 and 2560 m, most common between 1100 and 1900 m.

Size:
Maximum total length about 12 cm (carapace length 5.6 cm); adults with carapace length usually between 4 and 5 cm.

Interest to Fisheries:
Hardly potential. The species is taken occasionally during exploratory trawling, but never in great quantities. This, plus the fact that the species is relatively small and lives at very great depths make it unlikely that it ever will form the subject of a fishery.

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