A new species of Erebonasteridae, Amphicrossus pacificus, is decribed on the basis of a single female from a depth of 155 m north of New Caledonia in the Grand Passage zone. The new species is closely related to Erebonaster spinulosus Humes and for that reason the latter is transferred to the new genus Amphicrossus. Differences in body ornamentation and armature of maxilla, maxilliped and P4 serve to distinguish Amphicrossus and Erebonaster. Other noticeable discrepancies are found in the structure of the rostrum, the shape of the thoracic epimera and the design of the fifth pair of legs. A peculiar structure, the "sensory area", is shown on the posterior surface of enp-2 P2 in both Amphicrossus species which can be differentiated from each other on the... |