Monodaeus couchii

Monodaeus couchii (Couch, 1851)

Xantho couchii Couch, 1851:13.

Medaeus couchi.—Monod, 1956:310, figs. 383, 877, 878.—Pérès, 1964:20.—Forest and Guinot, 1966:80.—Crosnier, 1967:331, figs. 13, 14.—Zariquiey Alvarez, 1968:400, figs. 9, 15e, 133, 134a [Spain; references].—Crosnier, 1970:1215 [listed], 1216.

Micropanope (?) couchi.—Forest and Gantés, 1960:352.

Xantho couchi.—Pérès, 1964:27, 28, 29.—Guinot, 1967c:348, 349, 371 [all discussion], 373 [listed].—Maurin, 1968a:19, 116 [Spain, Mediterranean].—Forest, 1976:66 [discussion].

Monodaeus couchi.—Guinot, 1967c:372 [discussion], figs. 23, 32 [Spain]; 1971:1074 [listed].—Türkay, 1976a:25 [listed], 38, fig. 24 [Portugal, in part].—Forest, 1976:68 [discussion].

SYNONYM.—Xantho tuberculatus Bell, 1852.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—Pillsbury Material: None.

Undaunted Material: South-West Africa: Sta 106, 225 m, 1 (L).

Other Material: Morocco: Off Cap de Mazagan, 33°40′N, 08°45′W, Agassiz trawl, 28 Mar 1976, Onversaagd Sta 154, 1 (L).

DESCRIPTION.—A. Milne Edwards and Bouvier, 1894:33.

Figures: A. Milne Edwards and Bouvier, 1899, pl. 3: figs. 3–15.

Male Pleopod: Monod, 1956, figs. 877, 878 (Senegal).

MEASUREMENTS.—Carapace width of our male 11 mm.

BIOLOGY.—Monodaeus couchii is a sublittoral species, occurring on the outer shelf and slope to a depth of at least 1300 m (Türkay, 1976a). It was found by Pérès (1964) off Morocco on a bottom with a coral bank and sponges on rock, 460 to 490 m; on muddy sand, partially consolidated, 295 to 340 m; and on bathyal mud in 333 to 360 and 260 to 500 m. It was taken by the Calypso (Forest and Guinot, 1966) on sand, mud and shells in 64 m and on sand and shells in 73 to 80 m. Crosnier (1967) reported it from 80 m on pebbles.

DISTRIBUTION.—Eastern Atlantic, from England southward to Angola, including the Mediterranean; sublittoral, in depths between about 60 m to at least 1300 m. Monod (1956) reported material from Senegal; since 1956 the species has been recorded from the following West African localities.

Morocco: Agadir, 60–130 m (Forest and Gantès, 1960).—35°47′N, 06°35′W, 460–490 m; 35°19′N, 06°32′W to 35°28.8′N, 06°39.2′W, 333–360 m; 35°17.5′N, 06°10.3′W to 35°13.9′N, 06°36.2′W, 295–340 m; and 34°39.6′N, 06°54.5′W to 34°33.5′N, 06°56′W, 260–500 m (Pérès, 1964). 33°34.2′N, 09° 19.8′W, 1300 m, and 31°01′N, 10°16′W, 360–375 m (Türkay, 1976a).

Liberia: 05°21.5′N, 09°45.5′W, 73–80 m, and 04°34.5′N, 08°31′W, 64 m (Forest and Guinot, 1966).

Ivory Coast: S of Vridi, 80 m; SW of Vridi, 200–300 m; and S of Grand-Bassam, 100–300 m (Crosnier, 1967).

Congo: Pointe-Noire and off Pointe-Noire, 04°57′S, 11°22′E, 160 m (Crosnier, 1967).

South-West Africa: 17°18′S, 11°24′E, 225 m (Crosnier, 1970).