A natural history of the deep-sea aplacophoran Prochaetoderma yongei and its relationship to confamilials (Mollusca, Prochaetodermatidae)

Previously published studies are woven together into a natural history of a deep-sea aplacophoran mollusc species, Prochaetoderma yongei Scheltema, 1985, and its confamilial species in the Prochaetodermatidae. This amphi-Atlantic species occurs sometimes in great numbers at upper bathyal depths, rivaling polychaetes in numerical dominance. It appears to be an opportunist, with wide geographic and depth distribution, rapid development from lecithotrophic larva to settlement and maturity, and omnivory. A short illustrated morphological description using characters useful for identifying all prochaetodermatid species should prove useful to nontaxonomists whose business is the deep-sea benthic fauna.