Glyphocrangon alispina Chace, 1939

Glyphocrangon alispina Chace, 1939 View in CoL

( Figs. 6 View FIGURE 6 , 7 View FIGURE 7 )

Glyphocrangon alispina Chace, 1939: 39 View in CoL ( type locality: north of Matanzas Province, Cuba, 23°24’N, 81°00.5’W).— Pequegnat 1970: 105.— Holthuis 1971: 347, fig. 15.— Komai 2004a: 3, fig. 1C, D.

Material examined. BIOREPES2 stn 27, ♀ 1; stn 36, ♂ 1, ♀ 1, ovigerous ♀ 3. BIOREPES3 stn A9, ♀ 1; stn A13, ♂ 9, ♀ 11, ovigerous ♀ 28; stn A14, ♂ 4, ♀ 10, ovigerous ♀ 9; stn A15, ♂ 1; stn A17, ovigerous ♀ 1. COBERPES stn A5b, ovigerous ♀ 4; stn A6, ♀ 2, ovigerous ♀ 1; stn B4, ovigerous ♀ 6; stn B6, ovigerous ♀ 1; stn B8, ♀ 1, ovigerous ♀ 1; stn B11, ♀ 1; stn B12, ♂ 1, ♀ 3, ovigerous ♀ 11; stn Ω1, ♂ 1, ♀ 1, ovigerous ♀ 1; stn Ω5, ♂ 3, ovigerous ♀ 25; stn Ω7, ♀ 3, ovigerous ♀ 11; stn Ω8, ♂ 10, ♀ 3, ovigerous ♀ 16; stn Ω9, ♂ 1, ♀ 2, ovigerous ♀ 2; stn Ω10, ovigerous ♀ 1. COBERPES 2011 stn C5, ♂ 2, ♀ 1, juvenile 1.

Overall Geographic and Bathymetric Distribution. This species has been recorded in the entire Caribbean Sea, including the Gulf of Mexico (NW; NE; SW; SE), from the Florida Straits to British Guiana; at a 548–1865 m depth range ( Holthuis, 1971, Felder et al. 2009).

Distribution in the Southwestern and Southeastern Gulf of Mexico. Within study area we collected G. alispina in Tamaulipas: Laguna Madre (WSW); Veracruz: Coatzacoalcos and Tonalá rivers (SSW); Tabasco: Carmen-Machona, and Mecoacán Lagoons, Grijalva-Usumacinta rivers (SSW); Yucatán: N of Alacranes reef (SSE); from 671.9 to 1144.0 m depth on clay and muddy shell sediment ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 ).

Remarks. We caught 195 individuals in all research cruises. The maximum abundance was found during autumn 2009 in front of Laguna Madre at 699 m depth. Male mean size was small (14.64 ± 1.50 SD), compared to females (15.16 ± 1.37 SD), and ovigerous females (16.33 ± 1.18 SD). Sex ratio favoured females 4.97: 1 male, the ovigerous females counting 74.7% of the total females. Females (non-ovigerous and ovigerous) were found in a wider depth range ( 671.9 to 1144 m depth), than males ( 699 to 1047.9 m depth). Size depth distribution showed that the smallest size for females ( 12.4 mm CL) and males (10.0 mm CL) occurred at the depth interval of 700– 799, while the ovigerous females (13.0 mm CL) were collected deeper ( 1000–1099 m depth) ( Fig.7a, b, c View FIGURE 7 ). In spite of this apparent size distribution pattern, ANOVA results by size and depth did not show significant differences (males: F= 2.6354, p= 0.0685; females: F= 0.8502, p= 0.05029; ovigerous females: F= 2.42, p= 0.0522 ( Fig. 7a, b, c View FIGURE 7 ). Ovigerous females were more abundant in autumn and summer. They were mainly found in front of Laguna Madre and Grijalva-Usumacinta rivers accounting 75% of the total number of females.