Primitive decapods from the deep sea: fi rst record of blind lobsters(Crustacea: Decapoda: Polychelidae) in northeastern Brazil

Abstract

We report herein the occurrence of the infraorder Polychelida in Potiguar Basin, northeastern Brazil. Specimens were collected by the project “Avaliação da Biota Bentônica e Planctônica na porção off shore das Bacias Potiguar e Ceará”, developed by the Brazilian Oil Company (PETROBRAS). Th ree species were recorded for the fi rst time in this region: Pentacheles validus A. Milne-Edwards, 1880, Polycheles typhlops Heller, 1862, and Stereomastis sculpta (Smith, 1880) at 2000 m, 400 m and 2057 m depth, respectively. Th e Brazilian deep-sea fl oor remains poorly known, but progress has been made as a result of collections obtained by oceanographic expeditions and research projects developed by PETROBRAS in Campos Basin (Rio de Janeiro) and Potiguar Basin (Rio Grande do Norte), expanding the knowledge of the distribution area of Polychelidae in Brazilian deep sea waters.