Faxon, 1893
Diagnosis:
Carapace smooth. Rostrum less than half as long as rest of carapace, with one pair of lateral teeth (one tooth on either margin). Post-supraorbital spine absent. Abdominal somites 2 to 6 with a median dorsal carina. Anterior margin of pleuron of second abdominal somite strongly convex, without a spine. An erect dorsal spine placed in the middle of the basal part of the telson. Exopod of uropod with a diaeresis.
Type:
Type localities: "Albatross" Station 3418, off Acapulco, Mexico, 16°33'N 99°52'30"W; 660 fms ( = 1207 m], brown sand, broken specks; syntype in USNM, no. 21081. "Albatross" Station 3424, near Tres Marias Islands, Mexico, 21°15'N 106°23'W, 676 fms [= 1236m], grey sand, broken specks; syntype in USNM, no. 21082.
Geographical Distribution:
Eastern Pacific from Baja California, Mexico (27°N) to Valparaiso, Chile (ca. 32°S). As Manning (1970: 868) pointed out, the records from the Galapagos and Marion Islands are erroneous.
Habitat and Biology:
Deep sea between 300 and 1200 m; muddy or sandy bottom.
Size:
Total length 5 to 13 cm; carapace length 3,8-5.1 cm. A published record giving the maximum length as 25 cm is clearly erroneous.
Interest to Fisheries:
Retamal (1977: 17) remarked that the species is commonly found in commercial catches of the shrimp Heterocarpus reedi Bahamonde in Chilean waters, and that with the right gear and a better knowledge of the habitat and habits of the species a commercial fishery might be feasible off Chile.