304 records
This is a very characteristic deep mesopelagic to bathypelagic species in the North Atlantic. The original description was based on a single specimen collected at 52°N 15°W, which was described as a Conchoecissa species. Müller (1906) classified it in the genus Archiconchoecia, which he had established for A. striata Müller (1894). Chavtur and Stovbun (2003) have recently substantially revised the Archiconchoeciinae subdividing the Archiconchoecia species into eight genera. Archiconchoecia striata, the first species to be described is retained as the type species for the genus, and this species is classified in a new genus Archiconchoecissa. This genus includes species with highly sculptured carapaces and spines at the posterior dorsal corner, for which A. pljusnini is designated as the type species. The map show that this species occurs at latitudes <60° in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, but it is uncommon in the Pacific. The bathymetric profiles show that at latitudes >40°N it is mesopelagic, but at lower latitudes its depth range submerges and it becomes bathypelagic. At these latitudes it is replaced at mesopelagic depths by a very similar but appreciably smaller form (see A. cucullata) that awaits description.
North Atlantic | n | Mean mm | s.d. | Range |
---|---|---|---|---|
Females | 772 | 2.22 | 0.13 | 2.05-2.57 |
Males | 407 | 2.35 | 0.14 | 2.12-2.64 |
A-1 | 1232 | 1.78 | 0.11 | 1.60-2.01 |
A-2 | 696 | 1.34 | 0.074 | 1.19-1.56 |
A-3 | 322 | 1.05 | 0.042 | 0.90-1.15 |