Bythocaris cosmetops (Decapoda: Caridea: Hippolytidae) in the western Mediterranean Sea jose ’ enrique garci ’a raso 1 , pablo marina 1,2 and jorge baro 2 1 Departamento Biologı ´a Animal, Universidad de Ma ´laga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, Ma ´laga Spain, 2 Instituto Espan ˜ol de Oceanografı ´a, Centro Oceanogra ´fico de Ma ´laga, Puerto Pesquero s/n 29640 Fuengirola (Ma ´laga), Spain The capture of the species Bythocaris cosmetops in the Alboran Sea (southern Spain, western Mediterranean Sea), previously known from only two specimens from the Atlantic, Sierra Leone (south-west Africa) and the northern Bay of Biscay (north-west Europe), represents the first record of the genus and species in the Mediterranean Sea and Iberian Peninsula (south-west Europe). New data on morphology, biology and habitat are provided and discussed. Keywords: Decapoda, Hippolytidae, Bythocaris cosmetops, Mediterranean, first record Submitted 28 January 2011; accepted 14 March 2011 INTRODUCTION The genus Bythocaris has been reviewed by authors such as Bowman & Manning (1972), Abele & Martin 1989, Fransen (1993) and Sokolov (2000) including in total 16 species. According to Fransen (1993) these are: Bythocaris akidopleura Fransen, 1993; B. cosmetops Holthuis, 1951; B. cryonesus Bowman & Manning, 1972; B. curvirostris Kobjakova, 1957; B. elegans Bryazgin, 1982; B. floridensis Abele & Martin, 1989; B. gorei Abele & Martin, 1989; B. gracilis Smith, 1885; B. grumanti Burukovsky, 1966; B. irene Retowsky, 1946; B. kobjakovae Sokolov, 2000; B. leucopis G.O. Sars, 1879 (B. biruli Kobjakova, 1964 is considered a junior synonym); B. miserabilis Abele & Martin, 1989; B. nana Smith, 1885; B. payeri (Heller, 1875) and B. simplicirostris G.O. Sars, 1870 (B. spinipleura Squires, 1990 is considered a junior synonym). Sokolov, (2000) con- sidered B. biruli as a good species and B. elegans as a junior synonym because the described differences are within the morphological variation of B. biruli. Keys for species identifi- cation were provided in all these studies. De Grave et al. (2009) mention 17 species within the genus, and De Grave & Tu ¨rkay (2011) (in WoRM) consider B. biruli and B. elegans as valid species. In general, Bythocaris species are known to inhabit deep waters. The European species (9) show a sub-Arctic to high Arctic distribution, in the North Atlantic Ocean from Ireland northwards (see previous references and MarBEF website: http://www.marbef.org/data/aphia.php?p=taxdetails& id=106983; in this latter B. cosmetops is not included); whereas Bythocaris cosmetops is a tropical African species with a circalittoral bathymetric distribution. This decapod was described by Holthuis (1951) from a single ovigerous female sampled off Sierra Leone, at 74–78 m depth, on muddy-sand bottoms. Later de Saint Laurent (1985) found four specimens of Bythocaris sp. on the slope of the northern Bay of Biscay and, more recently, d’Udekem d’Acoz & Sorbe (2004) collected (in 2002) one female of B. cosmetops on the ‘Grande Vasie `re’ (an OSPAR (OSlo and PARis Convention) area of interest located on the shelf of the northern Bay of Biscay) at 120–121 m, which represents the second known record of this species (or third, if the Saint Laurent’s specimens belong to this species) and the first for European waters. MATERIALS AND METHODS The sampled area is located in southern Spain (the northern margin of the Alboran Sea), near to the marine Site of Community Importance named ‘Acantilados y fondos marinos de Calahonda-Castell de Ferro’ (cliffs and sea-beds of Calahonda-Castell de Ferro), Granada, Spain, included within the Nature 2000 network (code ES6140014, Official Journal of the EU, Commission Decision of 22.12.2009). As mentioned by Cano (1977, 1978a, b) this sector is character- ized by seasonal upwellings of cold waters rich in nutrients. Samples were taken using a small heavy rock dredge, with a rectangular frame of 42 × 22 cm and equipped with a 4 mm mesh size net. Trawling time was 5 minutes for each haul (during daytime and at sunset) at a speed of about 1.8 knots, which represents a trawl length of about 278 m and an estimated swept area of about 117 m 2 . In total, twelve stations with replicates were analysed. Temperature of near-bottom waters was measured with a conductivity – temperature – depth probe and sediment granu- lometry was determined with a column of standard sieves. A stereoscopic microscope and a light camera were used to measure the carapace length (CL) and total length (TL) (from the posterior margin of the ocular orbit to the posterior margin of the carapace and distal part of telson respectively). Corresponding author: J.E. Garcı ´a Raso Email: garciaraso@uma.es 1 Marine Biodiversity Records, page 1 of 4. # Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 2011 doi:10.1017/S1755267211000467; Vol. 4; e52; 2011 Published online