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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 October 2012
The nannastacid cumacean Campylaspis laevigata is reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea from specimens collected on the Israeli continental slope. This species is redescribed, based on specimens from the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean, and distinguished from the closely allied congeners Campylaspis glabra and Campylaspis nitens, both recorded from the Mediterranean. The three species have a smooth carapace, but may be distinguished by the structure and setation of the uropods: the inner margin of the peduncle is serrated in C. laevigata and C. nitens (not serrated in C. glabra), but the latter has more setae (6) on the endopodal inner margin and a rudimentary eyelobe. The known bathymetric distribution of C. laevigata ranges from 280 to 2000 m, and its highest abundances in the southern Bay of Biscay were found between 500 and 800 m, possibly related to food availability in the near-bottom environment.