Callianassa truncata, GIARD & BONNIER, 1890

Martin, Joel W. & Haney, Todd A., 2005, Decapod crustaceans from hydrothermal vents and cold seeps: a review through 2005, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 145 (4), pp. 445-522 : 500

CALLIANASSA TRUNCATA GIARD & BONNIER, 1890

Type locality: Gulf of Naples , Italy .

Known range: Atlantic coasts of France south to Atlantic coast of Morocco, and widespread throughout the Mediterranean including Greece, Italy, Adriatic Sea, Ionian Sea, Aegean Sea and south-east of Black Sea ( Ngoc-Ho, 2003).

Occurrence at vents or seeps: shallow-water vents in the Aegean Sea.

Material: See below under Remarks.

Remarks: Dando et al. (1995) reported Callianassa truncata as one of several species collected from shallow water (intertidal to approximately 115 m) vents around the islands of Milos and Santorini in the Hellenic Volcanic Arc of the Aegean Sea. None of the species collected by them, including C. truncata , was considered endemic to hydrothermal vents. The specimens of C. truncata came from core samples taken around a single vent at 12 m in the centre of Paleohori Bay. Dando et al. (1995) noted that ‘burrows of C. truncata were confined to the lower temperature region of the transect, <40°C at 10 cm sediment depth.’ Although eight specimens are listed in their table 3, it is not clear if any of the specimens were retained. The Aegean is an area of great volcanic activity; Dando et al. (1995) listed several other shallow volcanic regions yet to be fully explored.

This species was transferred to the genus Necallianassa by Heard & Manning (1998) and then back to Callianassa by Ngoc-Ho (2003), who reviewed all Mediterranean and European species of the genus. Callianassa truncata is a widespread opportunistic species throughout much of the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean ( Abed-Navandi & Dworschak, 1997; Ngoc- Ho, 2003; D. Felder, pers. comm.) and clearly is not endemic to vent or seep habitats.