Molecular identification of deep-sea blind lobster Willemoesia forceps (Crustacea: Decapoda: Polychelidae) from the Central Indian Ridge

The deep-sea blind lobster Willemoesia forceps A. Milne-Edwards, 1880 was collected at a water depth of 3433 m and is reported for the first time from the Central Indian Ridge (CIR). The species was identified based on morphological examination and supported by mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit I (mtCOI) gene. The phylogenetic analysis shows that W. leptodactyla is sister species of W. forceps. Our findings expand the distributional range of the specimen in the southern hemisphere.