Length: 16.5-26.1mm. Body spination varies in male and female. In male: head with paired spines; pereonites 1 and 2 elongate with maturity; pereonite 2 with median and posterior paired spines and spine at base of each pereopod; pereonite 3 with 5 pairs of spines and lateral spine over each gill; pereonite 4 with 3 pairs spines, 1 pair antero-lateral spines and lateral spine over each gill; pereonite 5 with 1 anterior pair; 2 posterior pairs and 1 antero-lateral pair of spines; pereonites 6+7 with 2 pairs of spines. In female: head with paired spines; pereonite 1 with posterior pair of spines; pereonite 2 with 3-4 pairs spines and spine at base of each pereopod; peronites 3 + 4 with 3 spine pairs and single spine over each gill; peronite 5 with 3 dorsal pairs, 1 antero-lateral pair and single spine at base of each pereopod; pereonites 6+7 with 2 pairs of spines each. Antenna 1 longer than head to pereonite 3; antenna 2 with many strong swimming setae. Gnathopod 1 propodus triangular, with one pair of proximal grasping spines; dactylus slightly longer than propodus palm; grasping margin of dactylus and propodus serrate. Gnathopod 2 basis and ischium with distal anterolateral spine; propodus slender, palm setose, with proximal projection with spine and two distal projections; dactylus thickened proximally, strongly curved, with setae along inner margin. Gills long, oval. Pereopods 5 - 7 with proximal pair grasping spines and moderately short dactylus.
Greenland; Franz Joseph Land; Baffin Island, New Foundland.
Caprellid, “Ghost” or “Skeleton” shrimps, so called for their skeletal appearance. Amphipod crustaceans, easily distinguished by the elongate stick-like body form and reduction of the abdominal appendages. Head is generally fused with pereonite 1. Pereopods on first 2 segments (pereonites) are most flexible and called gnathopods; gnathopods 2 being the largest, used in defense, feeding and substrate attachment. In many species pereopods 3 and 4 may also be reduced or absent. Gills on pereonites 3 + 4, rarely on pereonite 2. Pereopods 5 - 7 much smaller than 1 + 2, used for clinging to the substratum. In females, brood plates (öostegites) develop on pereonites 3 + 4. Much remains to be learnt about their biology, ecology and in many cases changing distributions.
150m
Very similar to C. microtuberculata Sars 1879. In C. microtuberculata gnathopod 1 dactylus just reaches the end of the propodus palm, pereopod dactylus is long and slender; in C. dubia, gnathopod 1 dactylus reaches beyond the end of the propodus palm, pereopod dactylus is fairly short.
