Lepechinella chrysotheras CHRYSOTHERAS STEBBING 1908

LEPECHINELLA CHRYSOTHERAS STEBBING, 1908

Lepechinella chrysotheras Stebbing, 1908: 191–193, pl. 27. — K.H. Barnard, 1925: 356–357. — Stephensen,

1944: 19. — J. L. Barnard, 1973: 14. — Barnard & Karaman, 1991: 269.

Type locality: North Atlantic, North Sea (between Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands), 59°041’N, 3°08’W, 850 m.

Remarks: Lepechinella chrysotheras is not encountered in the samples from IceAGE expeditions. This species is only known from the holotype of Stebbing (1908) and three additional male specimens listed by Stephensen (1944). There are currently no reported female specimens of L. chysotheras. Stebbing (1908) does not list the institution where the type material is deposited and, unfortunately, no type material for L. chrysotheras was located at the NHM, London, which was the main repository of Stebbing’s personal collection. Stebbing (1908) cited material as collected in the ‘North Sea’, by the RV Goldseeker, but this is a historic use of the name North Sea, as in more recent times, the term ‘North Sea’ is restricted to the region between the United Kingdom and the European mainland. Most importantly, the type locality listed in the formal taxonomic description of the species is given only as latitude and longitude coordinates. Following these coordinates, the collection locality is positioned between the Orkney Islands and the Outer Hebrides, hence outside the modern definition of the North Sea (a technical, but critical point in assessing regional listings and geographic species ranges).

Depth range: 850 to 900 m.

Distribution: North Atlantic, between Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands (Stebbing, 1908), South of the Faeroes (Stephensen, 1944) (Fig. 9B; Tables 1, 2).