Lepechinella victoriae VICTORIAE JOHANSEN & VADER 2015

LEPECHINELLA VICTORIAE JOHANSEN & VADER, 2015

(FIGS 4–5, 13)

Lepechinella victoriae Johansen & Vader, 2015: 23–28, figs 13–16.

Type locality: North Atlantic, south of Iceland, 61°38.2’N, 16°27.7’W, 2355 m.

Material examined: DZMB-HH 52527, six specimens, IceAGE 2, POS 456, station 879, Faeroe Islands Ridge, North Atlantic (63°06.10’N, 008°34.32’W to 63°05.62’N, 008°36.22’W), 510.9 m, 31 July 2013.

ZMH-K 56620, one specimen, 7.2 mm (Figs 4, 12), IceAGE, ME 85-3, station 963, Iceland Basin, south Iceland, North Atlantic (60°02.73’N, 021°28.06’W to 60°02.73’N, 021°29.88’W), 2749 m, 28 August 2011.

ZMH-K 56641, one specimen; IceAGE ME 85-3, station 967, Iceland Basin, south Iceland, North Atlantic (60°02.770’N, 21°28.540’W to 0°02.780’N, 21°30.070’W) 2750.4 m, 28 August 2011.

ZMH-K 56621, one specimen, IceAGE, ME 85-3, station 979, Iceland Basin, south Iceland, North Atlantic (60°21.48’N, 018°08.24’W to 60°20.72’N, 018°08.60’W), 2567.6 m, 30 August 2011.

DZMB-HH 56897, one specimen; DZMB-HH 56898, one specimen; DZMB-HH 56899, one specimen; DZMB-HH, 52119, one specimen; DZMB-HH 56149, one specimen (3.7 mm, Fig. 4), IceAGE, ME 85-3, station 983, Iceland Basin, south Iceland, North Atlantic (60°21.440’N, 18°08.140’W to 60°02.730’N, 18°08.510’W), 2567.7 m, 30 August 2011.

DZMB-HH 56695, one specimen, IceAGE, ME 85-3, station 1119, Denmark Strait, east Greenland, North Atlantic (67°12.81’N, 026°14.50’W to 67°12.83’N, 026°13.51’W), 696.9 m, 14 September 2011.

Remarks: Material reported here are larger specimens, 7.2 mm, (Figs 4, 5, 13), than the holotype ZMBN 99134, 5.5 mm. The IceAGE material includes additional juvenile and female specimens from sites close to the type locality ‘south of Iceland’ and at a similar 2000–m depth range. The rostrum shape, lateral cephalic lobe and head anteroventral lobe show some variation between juveniles, with more slender projections, and adults, which have broader and more sinusoidal projections (Fig. 4). The present study extends the known distribution of L. victoriae north to the Denmark Strait and east to the Faeroe Islands Ridge. The collection data also broadens the bathymetric range from the middle bathyal (2355 m) to the shallower upper bathyal (at 679 m deep).

Depth range: 679 to 2750 m.

Distribution: Iceland Basin (Johansen & Vader, 2015; present study), Denmark Strait (present study), Faeroe Islands Ridge (present study) (Fig. 7B; Tables 1, 2).