Notostomus elegans A. Milne-Edwards, 1881

(Fig. 25 A–C, 26, 40 C)

Notostomus patentissimus Spence Bate, 1888: 826, pl. 123, figs 1, 1A–C, 2.

Notostomus longirostris Spence Bate, 1888: 833, pl. 135, fig. 4.

Notostomus westergreni Faxon, 1893: 208 .

Notostomus atlanticus Lenz & Strunck, 1914: 330 .— de Man 1920: 46.

Notostomus elegans A. Milne Edwards, 1881: 7 .— Crosnier & Forest 1973: 49.— Chace 1986: 56.— Kensley et al. 1987: 287.— Vereshchaka 1990: 140.— Cardoso & Young 2005: 46, figs. 34–38.— Pequegnat & Wicksten 2006: 100.—Cardoso & Serejo 2007: 46.

Material examined. 1 F, Rocas Atoll, Abracos 1 ST# 22/ Leg.1, Midwater Tow, 525 m, 04° 07,72’ S / 033° 47,45’ W; 04° 07,02’ S / 033° 48,98’ W, 0 8 October 2015, MOUFPE: 15.577. 1 OF, Rio Grande do Norte, Abracos 2 ST# 35/ Leg. 2, Midwater Tow, 1150 m, 04° 19,60’ S / 035° 29,86’ W; 04° 18,54’ S / 035° 32,40 W, 24 April 2017 , MOUF- PE: 18.426. 1 M, Fernando de Noronha, Abracos 2 ST# 39/ Leg. 2, Midwater Tow, 800 m, 04° 52,42’ S / 034° 3,51’ W; 04° 50,86’ S / 034° 5,11’ W, 24 April 2017, MOUFPE : 18.401. 1 M and 2 OF, Fernando de Noronha, Abracos 2 ST#42, Midwater Tow, 800 m, MOUFPE : 18.442. 1 M, Rocas Atoll, Abracos 1 ST# 51/ Leg. 2, Midwater Tow, 800 m, 08° 56,49’ S / 034° 29,05’ W; 08° 59,11’ S / 034° 28,62’ W, 19 October 2015, MOUFPE : 15.686. 1 M, Rocas Atoll, Abracos 2 ST#53A/ Leg. 2, Midwater Tow, 65 m, 03° 49, 75’ S/ 0 33 87,70’ W; 03° 48,44’ S / 033° 57,75’ W, 0 2 May 2017, MOUFPE : 18440.

Diagnosis: Carapace with rostrum overreaching scaphocerite length, with about 14 ventral teeth; antennal spine present; branchiostegal spine present, with distinct carina that extends to posterior carapace margin. Abdomen dorsally carinate on all somites; somites 3–6 with posteromesial tooth, third somite distinctly strong with dorsal carina. Female with the first pleopod with endopod leaf shaped numerous plumose, articulated setae on lateral margin (modified from Cardoso & Young 2005).

Distribution: Western Atlantic: Bermudas, Bahamas, Gulf of Mexico and Brazil: (Rio Grande do Norte, Rocas Atoll, Fernando de Noronha, Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro). Eastern Atlantic: Portugal, Spain (Bay of Cadix), Portugal (Azores Archipelago), South Africa. Indo-Pacific Oceans: Philippines, Indonesia, Australian east coast, Ecuador, Easter Island, Nazca ridge, seamounts Sala y Gòmez (Chace 1947, 1986; Kensley 1987; Cardoso & Young 2005; Pequegnat & Wicksten 2006) (Fig. 26).

Bathymetric distribution: 450–5380 m depth (Chace 1947, 1986; Kensley et al. 1987; Cardoso & Young 2005), herein this specimen was found between 65–1150 m, thus extending its bathymetric distribution from shallow waters.

Remarks: The specimens examined herein agree with the descriptive characters mentioned by Crosnier & Forest (1973), Chace (1986) and Cardoso & Young (2005) to N. elegans . Notostomus elegans differs from its congeners recorded from Brazilian waters by the following characters: rostrum with two lateral carinae (Fig. 25A) and third abdominal somite dorsally carinate (Fig. 25B), while N. gibbosus present rostrum without two lateral carinae and shorter than carapace (Fig. 27A) and third abdominal somite not dorsally carinate (Fig. 27B) (Cardoso & Young 2005). The first record of N. elegans from Brazilian waters was made by Cardoso & Young (2005), under the framework of project REVIZEE which sampled between the states of Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro. However, it has a worldwide distribution (Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans) (Fig. 26), in mesopelagic and bathypelagic regions (Chace 1947, 1986; Kensley et al. 1987; Cardoso & Young 2005). The present study record N. elegans for the first time in oceanic islands (Rocas Atoll and Fernando de Noronha) in Northeastern Brazil and comprises the second record of the species from Brazilian waters.