“Colossendeis concedis, new species Fig. 2
Material examined. Islas Orcadas: 575-51 (one specimen (holotype), USNM 234694).
Eltanin: 32-2113 (one specimen (paratype), USNM 234695).
Distribution. The two localities for these types are very divergent; the Islas Orcadas specimen was taken near the South Sandwich Islands in 2248-2402 m, and the Eltanin specimen is from the southern Ross Sea in 2897-2907 in.
Description. Size moderate; leg span about 265 millimeters. Proboscis tong, very slender, with gradual swelling at midlength. Trunk about 0.4 proboscis length, with pair of small tubercles over palp insertions. Ocular tubercle broad, very low, with prominent sensory papillae, slight hint of unpigmented anterior eyes, posterior eye pair not found. Abdomen moderately long, extending to midlength of second coxae of fourth legs, distally swollen.
Palps moderately short, sixth segment slightly longer than seventh segment, both long, armed with dorsal row of short sharp spines. Distal 3 palp segments tiny, eighth about 0.7 as long as ninth which is about 0.7 as long as tenth, all with few short ventral setae. Oviger (paratype) segments slender, strigilis with several sets of very small denticulate spines, terminal claw robust, well curved, almost twice longer than terminal segment diameter, without larger distal spine to form subchala.
Legs slender, glabrous, first tibiae the longest segments with femora very little shorter, second tibiae very short. Tarsus long, propodus about 0.6 tarsus length, claw almost straight, short, about 0.4 as long as propodus.
Measurements (in millimeters). Trunk length, 14.4; trunk width (across second lateral processes), 6.0; proboscis length, 25.5; abdomen length, 4.5; third leg, three coxae, 7.5; femur, 42.8; tibia 1, 43.6; tibia 2, 26.2; tarsus, 5.1; propodus, 3.0; claw, 1.2.
Etymology. The species name (Latin: concaedis, an abatis or barricade of cut trees) refers to the row of sharp spines on the sixth and seventh palp segments.
Remarks. There is only a single complete oviger among these two specimens, the other three having lost their distal parts. The terminal oviger segment of the paratype is figured.
This species has few distinctive characters except for the conspicuous row of palp spines on the sixth and seventh segments. These spines do not extend to the three distal segments which only bear a few tiny ventral setae. The majority of Antarctic species have long proboscides and similar trunk configurations, but the one other unusual character in this species is the very low ocular tubercle which appears, on casual examination, to be blind. The anterior pair of eyes can barely be discerned but they are present even though the posterior pair is not evident. Eyes are unnecessary at these depths and will shortly, in an evolutionary sense, probably cease to exist. It is possible that in an extensive suite of specimens, same could be found lacking eyes altogether. There are no other outstanding characters in this species except to mention the short propodal claw in a genus whose Antarctic species often have very long claws.” (Child 1995b, 76-78)
