Twenty nine specimens of the rare deep-sea shrimps Bathypalaemonellidae, just represented until now by few species and specimens (nine species, gathered in only one genus, Bathypalaemonella Balss, 1914) have been collected during different cruises, that occured, on the one hand, in the east Atlantic (Ibero-Moroccan Gulf: BALGIM-84, 1984, and SEAMOUNT 1, 1988; Açores, BIACORES, 1971), and on the other hand, mainly in the Pacific Ocean: Philippines (MUSORSTOM 2 , 1980); Indonesia (KARUBAR, 1991); New Caledonia (BIOCAL, 1985; MUSORSTOM 4, 1985; SMIB 2, 1986; VOLSMAR, 1989; HALIPRO 2, 1996); Vanuatu (MUSORSTOM 8, 1994); Marquesas islands, French Polynesia (MUSORSTOM 9, 1997), and another specimen from the Gulf of Aden (SCIMEROUAD, 1977), that prove to belong to a new species, Bathypalaemonella adenensis n. sp., which can be separated from the seven other species maintained in the genus Bathypalaemonella, by the feature of the scaphocerite (the latero-distal spine overreaches significantly the distal margin of the blade), and of the telson, ended by three pairs of spines. Seven species have been collected: apart from Bathypalaemonella adenensis n. sp., these are: Bathypalaemonella serratipalma Pequegnat, 1970; B. hayashii Komai, 1995; B. cf. humilis Bruce, 1966; B. pandaloides (Rathbun, 1906); B. brevirostris Bruce, 1986; B. pilosipes Bruce, 1986. Bathypalaemonetes n. gen. is established for the last two species mentionned above, Bathypalaemonella brevirostris and B. pilosipes, which can be separated from the species of the genus Bathypalaemonella by a set of features such as: cephalothorax with at the most one postrostral spine; major second pereopod with the ischium shorter than the merus, and its fingers showing a serie of tubercles; minor second pereopod with the dactyl far less shorter than the palm. A key to the genera and species of the family is proposed.
Crustacea, Decapoda, Caridea, Bathypalaemonellidae, Bathypalaemonetes n. gen., Bathypalaemonella adenensis n. sp., East Atlantic, Pacific, Aden Gulf, new species, new genus.