Systellaspis cristata ( Faxon, 1893 )

Wicksten, Mary K., 2012, Decapod Crustacea of the Californian and Oregonian Zoogeographic Provinces 3371, Zootaxa 3371, pp. 1-307 : 47

Systellaspis cristata ( Faxon, 1893)

( Fig. 11C, D)

Acanthephyra cristata Faxon, 1893: 206 ; 1895: 162, pl. 43, fig. 1. — Goodwin 1952: 394.

Systellaspis cristata . — Butler 1980: 67. — Crosnier & Forest 1973: 94, figs. 26d, 27d. — Méndez 1981: 84, figs. 258–262. — Krygier & Pearcy 1981: 89. — Chace 1986: 64, figs. 34d–f, 35c. — Hendrickx & Estrada-Navarrete 1989: 116. — Wicksten 2002: 137.

Diagnosis. Exoskeleton thin, minutely pitted. Rostrum about as long as blade of scaphocerite, with 10–14 dorsal, 4–8 ventral teeth, apex acute; may be raised into convex crest posterior to orbit. Carapace with weak suborbital, moderate antennal, strong branchiostegal teeth, latter with supporting carina; gastro-orbital, submarginal carinae. Eyes pigmented. Stylocerite slightly longer than eye. Scaphocerite with lateral tooth longer than blade. Third maxilliped longer than first or second pereopod, setose. Third maxilliped, all pereopods with exopods of similar size. Pereopods 1, 2 short, chelate; pereopods 3–5 longer, pereopods 3, 4 with long dactyls, pereopod 5 with short, broad dactyl; propodus, merus, ischium of each bearing spinules. Abdominal pleura rounded or bluntly angular, dorsal surface of somite 3 with strong posterior tooth, carina; somite 4 with smaller tooth; small lateral spinules on pleura of somites 4, 5. Abdominal somite 6 longer than telson. Telson with 7–9 pairs spines on dorsal surface, 18–21 pairs small lateral spines, 1 pair strong lateral spines. Uropods slightly shorter than telson. Male total length 81 mm, female total length 169.

Color in life. Crimson.

Habitat and depth. Pelagic, 0–2500 m; usually below 200 m.

Range. Western Canada to Gulf of Panama, Atlantic and Indian oceans. Type locality south of Panama .