Ambasia anophthalma Kaim-Malka, 2014, n. sp.

Ambasia anophthalma n. sp.

(Figs 2–6)

Type material. HOLOTYPE. Adult female, with 5 eggs, 11.88 mm. Collected in the North Eastern Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay) on 23 August 2002. Cruise VITAL on R/V "L'Atalante" (IFREMER). Meriadzek Terrace (Fig.1). Depth: 1460 m, 47° 36' N; 8° 25' W. Holotype deposited in the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (Paris) N°: MNHN-IU-2013-11265.

PARATYPES. 1 specimen collected with the Holotype, in the same station. Specimen deposited in the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (Paris) N°: MNHN-IU-2013-11266.— 1 specimen collected on 26–28 August 2002. Cruise VITAL on R/V "L'Atalante" (IFREMER). Saint Nazaire Terrace (Fig.1). Depth: 1550 m, 46°15'N, 4°43'W. Specimen deposited in the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle (Paris) N°: MNHN-IU-2013- 11267. Male unknown.

Etymology. The name species refers to the absence of eyes (blind species).

Diagnosis. Blind species. Head: lateral cephalic lobe triangular shaped. Maxilla 1: inner plate with one long apical seta. Gnathopod 2: propodus minutely chelate. Coxa 5 greatly sized. Epimeral plate 3 roughly quadrate, anterior and posterior margins slightly convex, distal margin straight and the posterodistal corner rounded. Urosome carina high and triangular shaped.

Description. HOLOTYPE. Adult female, 11.88 mm (Fig. 2). Head: without eyes, blind species. Lateral cephalic lobe triangular and rounded distally. Epistome not prominent (Figs. 2; 3A, F). Antenna 1: shorter than antenna 2. Peduncular article1 expanded; articles 2 and 3 short. Flagellum 6 articulated, callynophore strong 2- fields. No calceoli. Accessory flagellum with 4 articles (Figs. 2; 3A, B). Antenna 2: broad, a little longer than antenna1; peduncular article1 comma shaped, very characteristic: the posterior part is rounded when the anterior one is triangular cut straight at the extremity; all of the other articles are rectangular (article 5 <article 4 <article 2 <article 3); flagellum with 7 articles. Except article 1 and 2, each article bears some setae (Figs. 2; 3A, C). Mandible (Fig. 4 C, D, E): strong; molar absent, lacinia mobilis vestigial; palp elongated with setae on the distal part of article 2 and on article 3. Maxilla 1 (Fig. 3 D, E): inner plate very small bearing one long apical seta; outer plate longer with 6 apical spines; last palp article with 4 little apical strong teeth and 2 setae. Maxilla 2 (Fig. 4 F): the two plates are densely setose on their apical part. Maxilliped (Fig. 4 A, B): palp scarcely exceeding outer plate, plates and palp very weakly setose, dactylus vestigial.

Pereon. Gnathopod 1 (Fig. 4 G): distal margin of the coxa 1 narrow and rounded, basis broad and long, carpus and propodus of same length, dactylus simple. All the articles are ornamented with setae. Gnathopod 2 (Fig. 5 A, B, C): coxa 2 roughly rectangular shaped, without setae, distal margin slightly expanded and rounded. Basis very long and narrow. Ischium subequal in length to carpus. Carpus-propodus joint constricted. Propodus oval / rectangular with long setae on the midanterior part, minutely chelate (Fig. 5 B, C). Pereopod 3 (Fig. 4 H): coxa 3 rectangular shaped, sized large, distal margin slightly convex, without setae, covering a great part of coxa 2. The different articles slender, poorly setose. Basis longer. Basis> merus = propodus> carpus> ischium. Dactylus simple. Pereopod 4 (Fig. 5 D): coxa 4 sized large and partly covering coxa 3, posterior concavity more than half length of the coxa. The different articles slender and poorly setose. Basis> merus> propodus> carpus> ischium. Dactylus simple. Pereopod 5 (Fig. 5 E): smaller than pereopods 6 and 7. Coxa 5 square and sized large. Basis roughly oval shaped. The other articles are slender and ornamented with very little setae and spines. Merus with a posterior lobe. Dactylus simple. Pereopod 6 (Fig. 5 F): coxa 6 square shaped, smaller than coxa 5 and partly covered by it. Basis roughly rectangular shaped, length =1.6 width, posterior margin rounded. The other articles are slender and ornamented with very little setae and spines. Merus with a small posterior lobe. Dactylus simple. Pereopod 7 (Fig. 5 G): coxa 7 roughly square shaped, smaller than coxa 6 and partly covered by it. Basis with a large lobe, length =1.25 width, posterior margin rounded. The other articles are slender and ornamented with very little setae and spines. Merus with a small posterior lobe. Dactylus simple.

Pleon Epimeral plate 1 (Fig. 6 A): anterior margin slightly concave shaped, anteroventral corner round, posterior margin rounded, inferior margin straight. Epimeral plate 2 (Fig. 6 B): anterior margin rounded, inferior and posterior margins straight, posteroventral corner subquadrate. Epimeral plate 3 (Fig. 6 C): roughly quadrate, anterior and posterior margins slightly convex, ventral margin straight and the posteroventral corner rounded.

Urosome. The carina is high and triangular shaped (Fig. 2). Uropod 1 (Fig. 6 D): long, peduncle and rami approximately of same length. External ramus very slightly longer than the inner one. Many little spines on peduncle and rami. Uropod 2 (Fig. 6 E): shorter than Uropod 1, U1 / U2 = 1.42. Peduncle as long as rami. Rami of equal length. Many little spines on peduncle and rami. Uropod 3 (Fig. 6 F): Short, U1> U2> U3; U2 / U3 = 3. 54; Peduncle stout. Rami of inequal length; inner ramus / outer ramus = 0.75; inner ramus lanceolate and one articulate, length subequal to the first article of the outer ramus; outer ramus 2-articulate, the first article is strong with little spines on the outer margin; the second article is in fact a strong tooth.

Telson (Fig. 6 G): triangular (length = 0.62 width); cleft on 2/3 of the length, one spine on the apical part of each lobe.

Discussion. The genus Ambasia was created by Boeck (1871) and included only one species: Ambasia atlantica (Milne Edwards, 1830). The present work permits the addition of a new species, Ambasia anophthalma, to this genus. The main differences between these two species are:

Ambasia anophthalma is a blind species, Ambasia atlantica has a subsigmoid eye. Maxilla 1: inner plate with one long apical seta (A. anophthalma), two short setae (A. atlantica). Gnathopod 2: propodus oval/rectangular shaped (A. anophthalma); oval (A. atlantica). Epimeral plate 3: posteroventral corner rounded (A. anophthalma); producing a little tooth (A. atlantica). Urosome carina high and triangular shaped (A. anophthalma); high and roughly rectangular shaped (A. atlantica).