A new species of Mysidopsis (Crustacea, Mysida, Mysidae) from coastal waters of Catalonia (north–western Mediterranean)

Abstract

A new species of the genus Mysidopsis (Crustacea, Mysida, Mysidae, Leptomysinae) is described based on specimens sampled with a suprabenthic sled in the littoral located near the coastal city of Mataró (north–western Mediterranean). The new species lives in the soft–bottom suprabenthic habitat near a Posidonia oceanica meadow, at depths between 17 and 21 m. The main distinguishing features of Mysidopsis iluroensis n. sp. are the small body size, a prominent rostrum, the absence of carapace dorsal nodules, and the armature of the antennule, telson and uropod. The morphology of the new species is compared with other species of Mysidopsis in the Mediterranean Sea.