140 



thin hairs; the 5th segment of pereopods I is 1.1-1.3 times longer than the 

 6th; the claw is long,thin, and straight. Pereopods III and IV are alike in 

 structure; their 4th segment is almost equal to the 3rd or longer than it by 

 not more than two times, and not less than half the length of the 5th; the 

 5th segment is linear or amygdaloid, equal to or slightly shorter than the 



120 2nd; the 6th segment is thin, distally tapering, and slightly shorter than 

 the 5th; the claw is almost straight in females or slightly curved in males. 

 Pereopods V are almost the same length as pereopods IV; the 4th segment 

 is equal to the 5th or shorter, but not by more than 1/2-2/3 its length; the 

 6th segment is thin and distally tapering. Pereopods VI in males are the 

 same length as pereopods V, in females slightly shorter; the length ratios of 

 these segments show individual variation;the 4th segment may be equal to 

 the 5th or almost 1/2 in length; the 5th segment may be somewhat shorter 

 or longer than the weakly conical 6th segment. Pereopods VII are weaker 

 than pereopods V but with roughly the same length ratios of segments. 



Distribution: North Atlantic Ocean from Davis Strait (63°06' N, 

 56° W) up to the Madeira and Bermuda islands. South Atlantic off South 

 Africa. In the Indian Ocean it is found in the Arabian Sea and in tropical 

 regions up to 20° S, in the Pacific Ocean — in the northwestern part, 

 south of 50° N, in the Philippine Sea, Solomon Sea, and in the region 

 of the deepwater Kermadec trench. It generally inhabits depths of more 

 than 500 m, but rises to shallow depths; casts of females that had died 

 after spawning have been found in surface catches. 



121 5. Mimonectes diomedeae (Woltereck, 1909) (Fig. 51) 



Woltereck,1909: 148 (Sphaeromimonectes); Stephensen and Pirlot, 

 1931: 531; Vinogradov, 1957: im.—gaussi (non Woltereck, 1904b); 

 Shoemaker, 1945a: 221 (part.). 



Length of sexually mature female 15 nmi; of not fully mature male 

 14 mm. 



The mandibles have a very narrow denticulate cutting edge, and 

 an accessory plate almost equal in width to it; the notch on the cutting 

 edge is almost imperceptible. The outer lobe of maxillae I bears relatively 

 weak distal spines; the inner lobe is petaloid, broad, and apically rounded. 

 The outer lobes of the maxillipeds tapers apically because the distal part 

 of the outer margin is straight, not bulging; one long stronrg seta is situated 

 at the point where the bulging outer margin becomes straight; a second 

 smaller seta is situated in the middle of the straight part while a third seta 

 is apical; between these setae the margin of the lobe is finely pubescent; 

 the inner margin of the outer lobe is armed with numerous short setae; 

 the inner lobes are broad, oval, and pubescent in the distal part, with one 

 apical seta. 



Unlike in M. gaussi, the 6th segment of pereopods I and II is not 

 conical but oval, almost not tapering distally, its distal denticle projecting 



