Rediscovery of Rocinela murilloi Brusca & Iverson, 1985 (Isopoda, Aegidae) in the Gulf of California, Mexico, and ecological data associated with its capture

Abstract

The status of the genus Rocinela Leach, 1818 in the eastern Pacific, was reviewed by Brusca & France (1992). These authors reported nine species for the genus, including a new species from the Galapagos Islands and Costa Rica. Their review included an identification key to all species in the region and new illustrations of body parts of diagnostic value. They examined the type material of the eight previously known species, and additional material held in eight major collections worldwide, reporting large series of new records for several species. Rocinela murilloi Brusca & Iverson, 1985, was originally described from material collected by the Velero IV off the coast of Costa Rica, off Punta Guiones, at 1866 m depth. Most of the records reported by Brusca & France (1995: 258-260), however, are from Californian waters, particularly from the San Diego Trough. Outside of California, records include localities off the Baja California west coast (off Punta Descanso), Mexico, off Costa Rica (the type locality and an additional record from a nearby locality), off Peru (near Lobos de Tierra and Lobos de Afuera Islands), and off Arica, Chile. The only locality in the Gulf of California (sensu Brusca et al, 2005), is at 21?19'N 106?24/W, at 1201 m depth, where a single female specimen was captured by the Albatross in 1891. Contrary to what is stated by Brusca & France (1992: 259), this locality is not located off San Bias, a small coastal town of the State of Nayarit, but rather west of Maria Cleofas Island (Tres Marias Islands), almost 70 nautical miles (approx. 126 km) off San Bias, a locality visited by the Albatross on 18 April 1891 en route to the central Gulf of California.