Quadrimaera cristianae Krapp-Schickel & Ruffo, 2000

White, Kristine N. & Sir, Sally J., 2024, Caribbean Amphipoda (Crustacea) of Panama. Part II: parvorder Hadziidira, ZooKeys 1195, pp. 249-296 : 249

Quadrimaera cristianae Krapp-Schickel & Ruffo, 2000

Figs 12 , 28E

Quadrimaera cristianae Krapp-Schickel & Ruffo, 2000: 199-203, figs 3, 4.

Material examined.

Panama • 2-3.5 mm • 1 ♀; Bocas del Toro, Playa Bluff; 9.3905°N, 82.23725°W; depth 0 m, among algae; 5 Aug 2005; T.A. Haney leg.; GCRL 6640 • 1 ♀; Bocas del Toro, Hospital Point ; 9.3336°N, 82.218883°W; depth 15 m, among coral rubble; 6 Aug 2005; S. DeGrave leg.; GCRL 6641 • 3 ♂, 5 ♀, 1 juvenile; Bocas del Toro, Hospital Point; depth 2-3 m, in sponge Aplysinia cauliformis ; 15 June 2009; K.N. White leg.; GCRL 6642 • 1 ♂; Bocas del Toro, Hospital Point; 9.331967°N, 82.214817°W; depth 1-3 m, among Halimeda ; 22 June 2023; K.N. White leg.; USNM 1703520 • 2 ♂, 2 ♀; Bocas del Toro, Crawl Cay; 9.245967°N, 82.136867°W; depth 1-4 m, among Halimeda and coral rubble; 25 June 2023; K.N. White leg.; USNM 1703521 .

Diagnosis.

Antenna 1 accessory flagellum 6-articulate. Gnathopod 1 coxa anteroventrally rounded; carpus with slight dorsal depression and two short and four long facial setal rows. Gnathopod 2 propodus palmar margin with three U-shaped excavations increasing in size distally, two subtriangular projections, and one subrectangular projection, palm defined by large projection; dactylus medially expanded. Telson lobes inner corner acutely produced, each with four apical spines and one medio-distal plumose seta.

Distribution.

Turks and Caicos, Fort George Cay; Netherlands Antilles: Curaçao; Lesser Antilles: Bonaire and St. Martin; Venezuela: Margarita Island; Cayman Islands: Grand Cayman Island; Mexico: Yucatán; Brazil: Ceará State; Pernambuco State, Bahia State; Rio Grande do Norte State ( Krapp-Schickel and Ruffo 2000); Panama: Bocas del Toro (present study).

Ecology and remarks.

These amphipods are associated with algae and coral rubble at depths of 0-15 m. Panamanian specimens closely resemble previously described specimens, with the main difference being fewer plumose setae on the telson. This species can be readily identified by the gnathopod 2 propodus palm ornamentation.

Figures

Figure 12. Quadrimaera cristianae, male, 4.9 mm, gnathopod 1 propodus, carpus, dactylus medial, telson, gnathopod 2 lateral, coxa 1. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

Figure 28. Photographs of live specimens unless noted A Elasmopus pocillimanus B Elasmopus thomasi C Meximaera diffidentia D Quadrimaera ceres (ethanol preserved specimen) E Quadrimaera cristianae F Quadrimaera miranda G Quadrimaera quadrimana. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.