(Bate and Westwood, 1862)
Description:
Pereion and pleon segments with a low dorsal keel; pereion segment 7 and pleon segments 1 to 3 each with a tooth on the posterior margin. Coxal plates 1 and 2 narrow, tapering slightly, setose; plates 3 and 4 broad. Epimeral plates 1 to 3 distal angle with a minute tooth, posterior margin convex with several small setules. Head with a short slender rostrum, lateral lobe sinuous with the upper angle produced; eyes moderately large in female, very large in male. Female antenna 1 one-third of the body length, reaching to the mid-point of the flagellum of antenna 2, peduncle article 1 with a small slender distoventral tooth, flagellum up to about 25-articulate. Female antenna 2 peduncle article 5 longer than article 4; flagellum up to about 25-articulate. Antenna 1 and 2 peduncle articles robust in male, confronted margins with groups of short fine setules. flagellum slender, longer than in female; male antenna 1 peduncle article 1 without a distoventral tooth, but may have a small notch. Gnathopod 1 basis robust, broad distally, setose, posterior margin with groups of short spines, propodus much longer than the carpus, oval, palm oblique, weakly convex, delimited by one or two slender spines; merus, carpus and propodus very densely setose. Gnathopod 2 longer and more slender than gnathopod 1, basis robust, setose, with a few small groups of submarginal spines, propodus about equal to length of the carpus or slightly longer, narrowly subrectangular, palm oblique, weakly convex, delimited by a group of two to four slender spines; merus, carpus and propodus moderately setose but less dense than gnathopod 1. Pereiopods 3 and 4 in male with many long plumose setae, merus longer than the carpus and propodus together especially in pereiopod 4; pereiopod 3 carpus and propodus about equal in length, pereiopod 4 carpus very short and much smaller than the propodus. Pereiopods 3 and 4 in female with only a few simple setae; pereiopod 3 merus equal to length of the carpus and propodus together, carpus and propodus about equal in length; pereiopod 4 merus longer than length of the carpus and propodus together, carpus much shorter than the propodus. Pereiopod 5 basis prolonged distally to form a large curved process; pereiopod 6 basis with the distal angle produced, subacute, posterior margin setose; pereiopod 7 basis with the posterior margin broadly rounded, weakly crenulate, setose. Coxal gills weakly pleated. Uropod 3 rami three times the length of the peduncle, margins spinose and setose. Telson longer than wide, cleft to three-quarters of the length, each lobe with an apical spine and setule and three or four dorsolateral setules, outer apical angle subacute.
Size:
Up to about 8 mm.
Colour:
Yellowish, with orange markings on the pereion, antennae and pereiopods.
Habitat:
Depth range from 10 to 200 metres.
Distribution:
North-East Atlantic; North Sea. European coasts from western Norway to the west coast of Ireland.