A new species of Orchomenella (Amphipoda, Tryphosidae) described from hydrothermal vent in the Okinawa Trough, Northwest Pacific

Abstract

A new species of the family Tryphosidae, Orchomenella compressa sp. nov., is described from hydrothermal vents in the Okinawa Trough. This is the first known Orchomenella species found in vent fields. Important morphological characters that differentiate O. compressa sp. nov. from its congeners are the absence of eyes, the compressed distal three articles of gnathopod 2, the shape of the posterior margin of epimerons 2 and 3, and the number of dorsal spines on the telson. The genetic divergence of the analyzed COI gene clearly supports this new taxon.