(Costa, 1853)
Description:
Urosome segment 1 with a depression on the dorsal margin, especially marked in male; coxal plates 1 to 4 long and broad; epimeral plate 3 quadrate, posterior margin weakly crenulate. Head lateral lobes prominent, rounded in female, more narrowly produced in male; eyes large oval to kidney-shaped, very large in male. Antenna 1 peduncle article 1 extremely large, articles 2 and 3 strongly compressed, flagellum about 8-articulate: accessory flagellum 5-articulate. Female antenna 2 only slightly longer than 1, about 9-articulate; male antenna 2 as long as body, flagellum filiform: Antenna 1 and 2 in male with calceoli. Gnathopod 1 robust, propodus narrowing slightly to small transverse palm. Gnathopod 2 minutely chelate, propodus long and narrow, coarsely setose. Uropod 3 in female inner ramus naked and much shorter than outer, outer ramus with few short spinules; in male inner margins of rami with long plumose setae. Telson in female with wide cleft to about one-quarter length, each lobe with 2 or 3 spines; telson in male longer and more slender with narrow cleft to about one-third length, each lobe with 4 marginal spines.
Size:
Up to 8 mm.
Colour:
Pale yellow or cream, sometimes speckled with red on the pereion.
Habitat:
Depth range from 30 to 70 metres.
Distribution:
North East Atlantic; North Sea; Mediterranean; along the coast of Europe from Norway to the western Mediterranean and Canary Islands.