Benthodytes typica Théel, 1882

Madeira, Patrícia, Kroh, Andreas, Cordeiro, Ricardo, De, António M., Martins, Frias & Ávila, Sérgio P., 2019, The Echinoderm Fauna of the Azores (NE Atlantic Ocean), Zootaxa 4639 (1), pp. 1-231 : 144

Benthodytes typica Théel, 1882

Reports for the Azores:

Benthodytes typica Théel, 1882 —? $ Marenzeller 1892: 66, 1893: 12; Perrier 1902: 274, 456; Mortensen 1927a: 273, fig. 221; Deichmann 1930: 123–124; Grieg 1932: 10, fig. 8, pl. 3, figs. 6–7; Nobre 1938: 170; $ Sibuet 1972: 123; $ Hansen 1975: 89–93, fig. 36, pl. 1, figs. 1–4, pl. 2, figs. 1–4; Pérez-Ruzafa et al. 1992a: 172–173; García-Diez et al. 2005: 52; $ Gebruk 2008: 51;

Benthodytes glutinosa Perrier, 1896 b—Perrier 1900: 119; Mortensen 1927a: 374; Grieg 1932: 10–11, pl. 3, figs. 1–2; non Benthodytes janthina Marenzeller, 1892 — $ Hérouard 1902: 30 [misidentification].

Type locality: Gulf of Cadiz (35°47’N, 8°23’W) .

See: Théel (1882: 103–104, pl. 27, fig. 7, pl. 35, fig. 4, pl. 38, fig. 5, pl. 44, fig. 8); Hansen (1975).

Occurrence: cosmopolitan, present in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans (Hansen 1974); from Nantucket to the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean ( Deichmann 1954), in the east from the Porcupine Abyssal Plain ( Grieg 1932) south to the Azores ( Perrier 1902), Canaries and? Cape Verde ( Hérouard 1923).

Depth: 1,873–4,700 m, though reported at depths as shallow as 315 m ( Hansen 1975); AZO : 2,063–3,300 m ( Gebruk 2008)).

Habitat: benthopelagic (juveniles only, Hansen 1975); deposit feeder on muddy sediments ( Bisoll et al. 1984).

Larval stage: produces large eggs (up to 3 mm; Hansen 1975), possibly indicative of a direct development.

Remarks: Benthodytes typica is a highly variable species ( Hansen 1975) rarely recovered in good conditions, mostly just ‘broad muscle bands and some shreds of skin’ ( Deichmann 1954). Marenzeller (1893) reported this species to the Azores for the first time, based on two specimens collected by Hirondelle (sta 248: 41°40’41”N, 26°44’9”W, 2,870 m). However, the author left his identification as uncertain due to the incomplete and deteriorated state of the animals. Perrier (1900) mentioned the Azores as the type locality for B. glutinosa (= B. typica ), though the material came from two Talisman stations located in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge area, about 400 to 600 miles south of the Azores (see Perrier 1902). Hérouard (1902, 1923) reported B. janthina among the material dredged by Princesse Alice, which included individuals collected within Azorean waters (sta 673: 37°51’00”N, 26°53’45”W, 2,252 m). Hansen (1975) re-examined Princesse Alice material and concluded that the specimens were quite different from B. janthina type material but strikingly similar to B. typica . Sibuet (1972) identified four animals collected by the bathyscaphe Archimède at stations west and east of Santa Maria Island, between 2,500 –3,300 m depths. More recently, Gebruk et al. (2008) identified specimens belonging to B. typica at several stations located in waters north of the islands substantiating the presence of this species in the archipelago.