Epimeria (Laevepimeria) cinderella, d’Acoz & Verheye, 2017

d’Acoz, Cédric d’Udekem & Verheye, Marie L., 2017, Epimeria of the Southern Ocean with notes on their relatives (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Eusiroidea), European Journal of Taxonomy 359, pp. 1-553 : 110-112

Epimeria (Laevepimeria) cinderella subgen. et sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A77C9AD4-391F-4101-8DFA-F15A45185A0E

Figs 235–240

‘Clade C walkeri complex - WA3’ – Verheye et al. 2016a, supplement: 3 (online).

Etymology

Cinderella, heroin of humble origin in a well-known folk tale. The name, which is a noun in apposition, alludes to the modest size and the absence of ornamentation of the species, which contrasts with the extravagant adornment and the impressive size of many ‘rival’ Epimeria species.

Type material

Holotype

RV Polarstern cruises:

SOUTHERN OCEAN: ♂, cruise PS81, ANT-XXIX/3, stn 188-5, south east of Dundee Island, 63°50.92ʹ S, 55°37.66ʹ W to 63°50.93ʹ S, 55°37.52ʹ W, 402–407 m, Rauschert dredge, 20 Dec. 2013, coll. C. d’Udekem d’Acoz and M. Verheye ( RBINS, INV. 132656 ) [extraction I15; Genbank nr, COI: KU870841 , 28S: KU759617 ].

Paratypes

RV Polarstern cruises:

SOUTHERN OCEAN: 1 spec., cruise PS69, ANT-XXIII/8, stn 605-1, Elephant Island, 61°20.35ʹ S, 55°29.16ʹ W to 61°19.98ʹ S, 55°32.67ʹ W, 146–151 m, bottom trawl, 19 Dec. 2006, coll. C. d’Udekem d’Acoz and H. Robert ( RBINS, INV. 122528); 1 spec., cruise PS81, ANT-XXIX/3, stn 185-3, south east of Dundee Island, 63°51.53ʹ S, 55°40.74ʹ W to 63°51.53ʹ S, 55°40.43ʹ W, 253–255 m, extremely fine sand mixed with some mud and gravel, Rauschert dredge, 19 Feb. 2013, coll. C. d’Udekem d’Acoz and M. Verheye ( RBINS, INV. 122965); 1 spec., cruise PS81, ANT-XXIX/3, stn 234-5, north of Livingstone Island, 62°17.36ʹ S, 61°12.06ʹ W to 62°17.31ʹ S, 61°12.63ʹ W, 248–251 m, mud with a lot of specimens of a small reddish ophiuroid with very long and flexible legs, Agassiz trawl, 7 Mar. 2013, coll. C. d’Udekem d’Acoz and M. Verheye ( RBINS, INV. 122949) [extraction ANT 43; Genbank nr, COI: KU870829 , 28S: KU759602 ].

RV James Clark Ross cruises:

SOUTHERN OCEAN: 2 specs, cruise JR144, stn EI-EBS-4-supra, south of Elephant Island, 61°33’544” S, 55°20’379” W to 61°33’637” S, 55°20’901” W, epibenthic sledge, 270 m, 12 Mar. 2006, coll. BAS ( RBINS, INV. 132959) [extraction I4; Genbank nr, COI: KU870848 , 28S: KU759625 ].

Other material

RV Seatruck, cruise REVOLTA II:

SOUTHERN OCEAN: 1 spec., stn REVO_140, Collect_ID: REVO_140, Adélie Coast, 66°37ʹ53.4″ S, 139°51ʹ18″ E, 106–172 m, 12 Jan. 2011, coll. N. Améziane, C. Gallut and A.C. Lautrédou ( MNHN- IU-2016-6885).

Description

HEAD + ROSTRUM. Very strongly curved in lateral view.

ROSTRUM. In lateral view short and broad, reaching 0.6 of article 1 of peduncle of antenna 1, anteriorly and ventrally straight, subacute; in dorsal view narrow, with straight converging borders, with tip blunt.

EYES. Huge, broadly elliptic, partly anteriorly oriented (interocular distance about 1.5 × as wide as eye size when seen in frontal view).

PEREION–PLEOSOME TOOTH PATTERN. Pereionites 1–7 and pleonites 1–2 totally smooth; pleonite 3 with weak posterior bump.

COXAE 1–3. Coxa 1 blunt-tipped, coxa 2 with tip subacute, coxa 3 blunt-tipped.

COXA 4. Narrow; anterodorsal border straight; anteroventral border nearly straight (inconspicuously convex), these two borders being joined by very broad rounded convexity, which is distinctly projecting forward; anterodorsal border 1.75 × as long as anteroventral border; posteroventral border nearly straight.

COXA 5. Broad, posteroventral corner rounded in lateral view, not projecting laterally.

COXA 6. Posterior border weakly convex; posteroventral corner very broadly rounded.

COXA 7. Posterior border nearly straight (inconspicuously concave); posteroventral corner broadly rounded.

EPIMERAL PLATES 1–3. Posteroventral angle very obtusely rounded in plate 1 (without any trace of tooth), produced into a small tooth in plates 2–3.

UROSOME TOOTH PATTERN. Urosomite 1 with distinct asymmetrical dorsal process, anteriorly nearly straight, apically bluntly angulate, posteriorly weakly convex; urosomite 3 with dorsolateral borders very weakly convex, with tip very bluntly angulate.

TELSON. Cleft on 0.2; lobes laterally very convex, medially nearly straight, with tips rounded; notch with borders weakly convergent and end rounded.

GNATHOPODS 1–2. Carpus and propodus short and very broad; propodus not expanding distally, palm not reduced.

PEREIOPOD 4. Merus, carpus and propodus long and slender, dactylus short.

PEREIOPOD 5. Basis of normal width, with posteroproximal process absent, with posterodistal corner forming a blunt squared angle (not projecting posteriorly); merus, carpus and propodus long and slender, dactylus short.

PEREIOPOD 6. Basis of normal width, with posteroproximal process absent, with posterodistal corner forming a blunt squared angle (not projecting posteriorly); merus, carpus and propodus long and slender, dactylus short.

PEREIOPOD 7. Basis broad; posterior border strongly convex along all its length, terminated in a large rounded lobe projecting ventrally; merus very broad and short, carpus of medium width and short, propodus slender and short, dactylus short.

Body length

Up to 15 mm.

Distribution

Elephant Island, tip of Antarctic Peninsula, Adélie Coast; 106– 270 m.

Remarks

Epimeria cinderella sp. nov. can be easily distinguished from the related E. anodon sp. nov. and E. walkeri by its much narrower and more asymetrical coxa 4. The gnathopods and the basis of pereiopod 7 are also different. Epimeria cinderella sp. nov. seems more similar to Epimeria (Laevepimeria) sp. subgen. nov., which is only known from a very small juvenile. The tip of the coxae 1–2 of the young Epimeria (Laevepimeria) sp. subgen. nov. examined are, however, much more rounded than in Epimeria cinderella sp. nov., but this difference might disappear in adults.

Figures

Fig. 235. Epimeria (Laevepimeria) cinderella subgen. et sp. nov., ♂, holotype, northwestern Weddell Sea, ANT-XXIX/3, stn 188-5, RBINS, INV. 132956. A. Lateral habitus. B. Dorsal habitus.

Fig. 236. Epimeria (Laevepimeria) cinderella subgen. et sp. nov., ♂, holotype, northwestern Weddell Sea, ANT-XXIX/3, stn 188-5, RBINS, INV. 132956. A. Facial habitus. B. Head in facial view.

Fig. 237. Epimeria (Laevepimeria) cinderella subgen. et sp. nov., ♂, holotype, northwestern Weddell Sea, ANT-XXIX/3, stn 188-5, RBINS, INV. 132956. A. Coxae 4–7. B. Pleonite 3 and urosome.

Fig. 238. Epimeria (Laevepimeria) cinderella subgen. et sp. nov., ♂, holotype, northwestern Weddell Sea, ANT-XXIX/3, stn 188-5, RBINS, INV. 132956. A. Head in lateral view. B. Urosome in dorsal view. C. Telson.

Fig. 239. Epimeria (Laevepimeria) cinderella subgen. et sp. nov., ♂, holotype, northwestern Weddell Sea, ANT-XXIX/3, stn 188-5, RBINS, INV. 132956. A. Gnathopod 1. B. Gnathopod 2.

Fig. 240. Epimeria (Laevepimeria) cinderella subgen. et sp. nov., ♂, holotype, northwestern Weddell Sea, ANT-XXIX/3, stn 188-5, RBINS, INV. 132956. A. Pereiopod 4. B. Pereiopod 5. C. Pereiopod 6. D. Pereiopod 7.