Achelia setulosa ( Loman, 1912 )

Achelia setulosa ( Loman, 1912) View in CoL

( Fig. 2B View FIGURE 2 )

Ammothea setulosa Loman, 1912: 13–14 .

Ammothea (Achelia) setulosa — Bouvier, 1917: 41–42, L. IV, figs. 9–10.

Achelia setulosa View in CoL — Bamber & Thurston, 1993: 845–846, fig. 7A–E.

Type locality — Boa Vista Island ( Cabo Verde), 15º54'00"N 22º54'45"W, 91 m GoogleMaps

Material examined. Maurit-0811: MU136 , 1♂, 1♀ ; MU142 , 1♀ ; MU167 , 1♀ ; MU184 , 2♂, 1♀ ; MU223 , 1♂ . Maurit-0911: MU233 , 1♂ juvenile.

Remarks. In the literature, different ornamental patterns related to the disposition of the tubercles and setae on the legs have been described within this species. Fage & Stock (1966) compared differences between their female specimen and the male holotype and concluded that differences in the ornamentation of the limbs might be attributed to sexual dimorphism. Bamber & Thurston (1993) studied a female specimen collected off Cap Blanc ( Mauritania) and described some differences from the female reported by Fage & Stock (1996), mainly related to the ornamentation patterns of the limbs; they suggested that with so few described specimens, the observed differences may only constitute intraspecific variation. Ornamentation in our female specimens matched that of the specimen described by Bamber & Thurston (1993), and consequently, we assigned our specimens to A. setulosa . The juvenile specimen is still chelate ( Fig. 2B View FIGURE 2 ) but the characteristics of the species are clearly visible.

Habitat. This species has been collected from coralline algae, bryozoans, corals, rocky and sandy bottoms ( Fage & Stock 1966; Stock 1990) between 20 and 120 m. This species has been reported from 1238 to 1285m in Cape Blanc ( Bamber & Thurston 1993), a remarkable depth for this species. However, Bamber & Thurston (1993: 842) indicates that the analysis of the information available from the samples allows them to assume that the material comes from this depth. Our material was collected between 101 and 213m.

Geographical distribution. This species is known from three localities in the Cabo Verde Islands ( Bouvier 1917; Fage & Stock 1966; Stock 1990) and another one off Cape Blanc ( Mauritania) ( Bamber & Thurston 1993). Our specimens were collected from southern Mauritania.