"HOLOTYPE—USNM 128290, gravid female, length 1.16 mm. Valves and some appendages in alcohol, remaining appendages on slide.
TYPE-LOCALITY—Eltanin Cruise 6, station 453.
ETYMOLOGY—The specific name is derived from the Greek "minys" [= little, small, short] and refers to the small size of the carapace.
ADDITIONAL SPECIMENS—USNM 137378, 1 gravid female; USNM 137379, adult female. Both specimens from Vema Cruise 15, station V-15-102.
DIAGNOSIS—Posterior of carapace truncate; length 1.13-1.26 mm.
First antenna: 2nd joint with 3 bristles, 1 ventral, 1 dorsal, 1 lateral.
Second antenna: 1st endopodial joint with 6 bristles, 2nd with 2.
Mandible: Dorsal margin of basale with 3 bristles.
Seventh limb: Each limb with 13 or 14 bristles; 1 large and 2 or 3 shorter pegs present opposite comb.
Furca: Each lamella with 10 claws.
Lateral eye: With 2 or 3 ommatidia.
DESCRIPTION OF FEMALE— Carapace with prominent rostrum and broad incisur; posterior truncate without projecting caudal process, posteroventral corner rounded; anterior and inferior corners of rostrum angular, margin between corners fairly linear; minute protuberance present on anterior margin near inferior corner of rostrum.
Ornamentation: Carapace smooth with minute pores; bristles present along margins and scattered on lateral surface.
Infold: Infold broad, especially along anterior and posteroventral parts of shell; infold on rostrum with 14 spinous bristles forming row parallel to anterior margin of rostrum; 3 bristles present along lower margin of rostrum; 1 small bare bristle present below inner end of incisur; anteroventral part of infold with about 10 striae, and with 5 bristles parallel to and near anteroventral edge of valve; no bristles present along middle part of ventral infold; posteroventral and posterior infold with about 30 bristles present along raised list (bristles along posterior part of list longer than those along posteroventral part); 2 or 3 small bristles present along inner edge of valve at posteroventral corner.
Selvage: Lamellar prolongation with marginal fringe present along anterior and ventral margins; prolongation with typical segmentation along rostrum and incisur; lamellar prolongation separated at inner end of incisur (not continuous).
Size: USNM 128290: length 1.16 mm, height 0.79 mm; USNM 137378, length 1.26 mm, height 0.82 mm; USNM 137379, length 1.13 mm, height 0.79 mm.
First antenna: 1st joint extremely spinous with long spines forming clusters on medial and lateral surfaces and along ventral and dorsal margins; 2nd joints also spinous and with 3 bristles, 1 ventral, 1 dorsal, 1 lateral, all with wreaths of long proximal spines and short distal spines; 3rd joint with 3 bristles with short marginal spines, 1 ventral, 2 dorsal, and with clusters of short spines on medial surface; 4th joint with 4 ventral and 1 dorsal bristle, all with 1 or more long proximal spines and short distal spines; sensory bristle of 5th joint with about 4 proximal and 4 terminal filaments; 6th joint with short spinous medial bristle. Seventh joint: a-bristle short spinous; b-bristle slightly shorter than sensory bristle of 5th joint and with 1 filament near middle and 4 terminal; c-bristle with 4 or 5 proximal and 4 distal filaments. Eighth joint: d- and e-bristles long, bare; f-bristle with 4 proximal and 4 terminal filaments; g-bristle with about 3 proximal and 3 or 4 terminal filaments.
Second antenna of holotype: Protopodite bare. Endopodite 2-jointed: 1st joint with 6 bare bristles, 5 medial, 1 lateral; 2nd joint with 2 bristles, 1 ventral with long proximal and short distal marginal spines, 1 terminal recurved, bare. Exopodite: 1st joint with short medial spine; bristle on 2nd joint reaching considerably beyond 9th joint, bare or with 2 or 3 ventral spines proximal to middle; 9th joint with 7 bristles, 3 long, 1 medium, 3 short; joints 2 to 8 with short spines forming row along distal margin; 3 short bristles of 9th joint with short marginal spines; remaining bristles of 9th joint and bristles of joints 6 to 8 with natatory hairs; bristles of joints 3-5 bare or with 2 or 3 marginal spines near middle of ventral margin.
Second antenna of USNM 137378: Right limb similar to limbs of holotype. Left limb with long bristles on 6th joint with natatory hairs and long bristles of joints 7 to 9 broken.
Mandible: Coxale endite large, spinous, pectinate with bifurcate tip; minute bristle present at base of endite on right limb of holotype, not observed on left limb. Basale: medial surface spinous and with 6 short bristles (3 stout pectinate and 2 slender spinous proximal, 1 spinous closer to middle of joint); lateral surface with 5 short spinous bristles forming row near ventral margin; ventral margin with 2 medium spinous distal bristles; dorsal margin with 3 bristles: 1 medium, bare, distal to middle, 2 terminal (1 long spinous, 1 medium bare). Exopodite about three-fourths length of dorsal margin of 1st endopodite joint; inner bristle with long proximal and short distal spines; outer shorter bristle with faint short marginal spines. Endopodite: 1st joint with 4 spinous ventral bristles; medial surface of 1st and 2nd joints with short spines forming few clusters; dorsal margin of 2nd joint with spinous bristles forming 2 groups, proximal group with 3 bristles, distal group with 6; ventral margin also with spinous bristles forming 2 groups, proximal group with 3 bristles, distal group with 4; end joint with 3 claws and 4 bristles, medial claw with few minute teeth near middle.
Maxilla: Coxale bristle short, stout, plumose. Exopodite with short bare proximal bristle and 2 long terminal bristles, both with long proximal and short distal spines. Distal margin of basale with 3 long bristles. Endopodite: anterior margin of 1st joint with long hairs and 1 spinous a-bristle; posterior margin with 5 terminal 6-bristles, bare or with short marginal spines; end joint with 11 bristles, some clawlike. Endite I broad, with 9 terminal bristles; endite II narrower than endite I, with about 7 bristles; endite III narrow but longer than endites I and II, with about 11 distal bristles and 1 short spinous proximal bristle on dorsal margin.
Fifth limb: Epipodial appendage with 43 bristles; 3 endites present typical for genus. Endopodite: anterior margin of 1st joint with 2 bristles near middle and 1 on outer margin; triangular tooth in front of main tooth fairly small with small proximal node; main tooth consisting of 4 teeth (distal tooth large with stout secondary teeth, proximal tooth small with 2 or 3 minute secondary teeth); short bare bristle present proximal to 4th tooth of 1st joint. Posterior bristles and curved inner margin of 2nd endopodite joint not clearly visible in mounted limbs of holotype. Third joint with 3 bristles on inner lobe and 2 on outer lobe. Fourth and 5th joints fused, with 7 spinous bristles.
Sixth limb: 3 short spinous bristles present in place of epipodial appendage; 1st endite with 3 spinous bristles, 2 medial, 1 terminal (1 of the medial bristles could be considered terminal); 2nd endite with 4 spinous bristles, 1 medial, 3 terminal; 3rd and 4th endites each with 8 spinous bristles, 1 medial, 7 terminal; end joint prolonged posteriorly and with 16 spinous and hirsute bristles; lateral and medial surfaces of end joint hirsute.
Seventh limb: 8 or 9 bristles in proximal group (4 ventral, 4 or 5 dorsal); 5 bristles in distal group (2 ventral, 3 dorsal); each bristle with 3 to 6 bells; terminal comb with 10 alate teeth; 1 large and 2 (possibly also 3) small pegs opposite comb.
Furca: Each lamella with 10 claws, each claw decreasing in length posteriorly along lamella; claw 1 with teeth forming medial and lateral row; teeth in lateral row larger near middle of claw (small and large teeth do not alternate); clump of long medial hairs present near base of claw 1; spines present along anterior margin of lamellae.
Eyes and rod-shaped organ: Lateral eyes small pigmented with 2 or 3 ommatidia; medial eye pigmented, about twice diameter of lateral eye; rod-shaped organ elongate, 1-jointed, slightly broadening proximal to middle, tip rounded.
Upper lip: Lip hirsute, spines not observed; unpaired rounded process present between lip and medial eye.
Eggs: USNM 128290 with 11 eggs in marsupium; USNM 127378 with 4 eggs.
Parasites: Ciliated PPeritrichida attached to several appendages. Unidentified organism consisting of string of about 5 globular segments also attached to many appendages. Segmented filaments attached to limbs of USNM 137378 in addition to strings of elongate and globular segments similar to those on USNM 128290.
COMPARISONS—The new species P. minys is extremely small—the unique gravid female being only 1.13-1.26 mm long. It differs in many ways from Philomedes eugeniae Skogsberg, 1920; e.g., the posterodorsal corner of the carapace is more rounded, the 7th limb has fewer proximal bristles and more terminal pegs, and the 2nd joint of the endopodite of the 2nd antenna has fewer bristles. The carapace resembles that of I. walleni, described herein, but the frontal organ is elongate, typical of those in other members of the genus Philomedes.
DISTRIBUTION—This species was collected only in the Magellanic subregion of Subantarctica at depths of 31 to 108 m." (Kornicker 1975, p.272-277)
