Piggybacking pycnogonids and parasitic narcomedusae on Pandea rubra (Anthomedusae, Pandeidae)

8 pages, 3 figures, 1 tableAssociations between pycnogonids and the mesopelagic anthomedusan Pandea rubra are reported from two in situ video footage records off the Pacific coast of northern Japan, and from a plankton sample collected in the Weddell Sea (one juvenile of the pycnogonid Pallenopsis (Bathypallenopsis) tritonis). This is the first pelagic record of a pycnogonid in the Southern Ocean and the first record of an association between pycnogonids and a hydroidomedusa at mesopelagic depths. Taxonomic descriptions of both host and associate are given. Two early stages of a parasitic narcomedusa adhered to the medusan subumbrella are also reported. Possible origins for the pycnogonid-medusa association are postulated. © The Plankton Society of JapanPeer Reviewe