A new species ofRimicaris(Crustacea: Decapoda: Caridea: Alvinocarididae) from hydrothermal vent fields on the Mid-Cayman Spreading Centre, Caribbean

Abstract

Rimicaris hybisaesp. nov. is described from hydrothermal vent fields on the world's deepest seafloor spreading centre, the Mid-Cayman Spreading Centre (MCSC), Caribbean, at depths of 2300–4960 m. The new species is described and illustrated on the basis of 17 specimens. Brief notes on the distribution and habitat of the new species are provided. Molecular phylogenetic data from mitochondrial COI (460 base pair (bp)), 16S ribosomal RNA (549 bp) and nuclear 18S ribosomal RNA (576 bp) regions is used to complement the description. Morphological variation withinR. hybisaesp. nov. and morphological affinities with previously described species are discussed. Based on morphological and molecular evidence, the new species is provisionally assigned to the genusRimicaris, and differs from all known species in the genus by a distinctive pair of ‘pores' on the posterior lobes of its four-lobed dorsal organ. An emended diagnosis forRimicarisis provided.Rimicaris hybisaesp. nov. is the first taxon to be described from MCSC vent fields. This record extends the known geographical range ofRimicarisinto the Caribbean Sea and constitutes the deepest documented occurrence of alvinocaridid shrimp.