New records of Benthesicymus Bate, 1881 (Dendrobranchiata, Penaeoidea, Benthesicymidae) from the abyssal depths of Taiwan

Abstract

The deep-sea Benthesicymus shrimps generally inhabit waters deeper than 1000 m deep. Recent deep-sea cruises off Taiwan collected two species of Benthesicymus Bate, 1881 from the abyssal depths greater than 3,000 m. They are B. crenatus Bate, 1881 and B. laciniatus Rathbun, 1906. Both of them are new records for Taiwan, with B. crenatus also representing the deepest (5,314 m) marine animal so far known for the island. The major distinguishing characters of these two species are described and illustrated.