The coastal areas where A. colbecki nowadays occurs were probably occupied only after shelf platforms became available after ice retreat during the last interglacial (Berkman et al., 2004). Due to their very limited and patchy extent of A. colbecki populations, the areas in which these are find have been proposed should be considered true refuges and worth of protection (Schiaparelli and Linse, 2006). Actually, A. colbecki is recognised as a vulnerable taxon by the Convention for the Conservation of the Antarctic Marine Living Resource (CCAMLR, 2009).