Linguimaera caesaris, Krapp-Schickel, 2003

Krapp-Schickel, T., 2003, Linguimaera Pirlot, 1936 (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Melitidae), a valid genus, Memoirs of Museum Victoria 60 (2), pp. 257-283 : 265-266

Linguimaera caesaris sp. nov.

Maera hamigera . — Walker, 1909: 335, pl. 43, fig. 5.— Karaman and Ruffo, 1971: 152–158, figs 21–23.— Lyons and Myers, 1993: 587, fig. 10.

(not Maera hamigera Haswell 1879a: 333 , pl. 21, fig. 1)

Material examined. Holotype. Cesarea, Mediterranean coast of Israel, MCNCr 425 (ovigerous female 8.5 mm).

Paratype. Same locality, MCNCr 1209–1212 (male 6 mm) .

Diagnosis. Gnathopod 1 propodus rectangular, less broad than carpus, 3 times as long as large. Gnathopod 2 male, female propodus oval, palm one third of posterior margin, slightly excavated and defined by blunt to rectangular corner. Pereopod 7 basis oval, posterior margin with fine serration. Telson with 1 bigger and 2 tiny robust setae distally, maximum length about one third of telsonic length.

Description. Adult female 8.5 mm, male (immature?) 6 mm.

Head: lateral cephalic lobes rounded, anteroventral corner rounded. Eyes more than twice as long as large, upper part narrowed.

Antenna 1 peduncle scarcely longer than flagellum, peduncle article1 shorter than article 2; flagellum of up to 28 articles, accessory flagellum of 5 articles; antenna 2 slender, gland cone short, article 4 longer than article 5, flagellum subequal to peduncle article 5, of 9 articles.

Mandibular palp article 1 longer than wide; article 2: article 3 = 2, both with long setae, article 3 also distally.

Coxa 1 anterodistally a bit upturned, bluntly pointed, posterodistal corner with small notch. Basis ratio length: breadth = 3, posteriorly 5 long setae. Merus posteroventrally rounded, (sharp tooth lacking here), less than twice as long as wide; carpus triangular, swollen; propodus rectangular, less broad than carpus, about 3 times as long as wide, palm defined, oblique.

Gnathopod 2 of female slightly dimorphic in size and shape. Coxa 2 rectangular, basis with 9 long setae on posterior margin, merus posterodistally with sharp tooth; carpus triangular, ratio length: breadth = 1.5, carpus: propodus = 3:5, both about same width. Propodus slender, similar shape to male, but shorter; anterior: posterior margin = 5: 3; palm defined by blunt corner beset with groups of robust setae, proximal part shallow excavate, in distal third defined by strong robust seta sitting elevated. The other gnathopod 2 lacks the palmar excavation as well as the defining robust seta near dactylus insertion and is narrower. Gnathopod 2 of male strongly dimorphic, carpus in larger gnathopod shorter, length subequal to width. Both propodi similar to female, but larger one broader, palmar defining tooth well developed, hump defining the palmar excavation more developed.

Pereopods 3, 4 very similar in shape and also size. Pereopods 5–7 robust, basis rectangular, small serrations on posterior margins; pereopod 5 small; pereopods 6, 7 subequal. Dactylus distally on inner margin with 2 stiff setae bent to tip of nail.

Epimeral plate 3 with serration of 4 or 5 teeth.

Uropod 1 peduncle inferior margin subproximally with 1 strong robust seta, subequal rami shorter than peduncle; uropod 2 with subequal rami as long as peduncle; uropod 3 peduncle less than half length of rami, rami subequal, beset with many short robust setae of maximally one seventh ramus length.

Telson longer or subequal to width, lobes outer end longer than inner one; in excavation 1 strong robust seta inserted with small additional ones, robust seta about one third of telson length. On outer margin of first and second third, another short- er robust seta.

Etymology. There are two reasons for the choice of this name: at first sight, because the Mediterranean material (see Karaman and Ruffo, 1971) comes from Cesarea ( Israel), but more importantly it should remind of Sandro Ruffo, the grand old man and “emperor” (= caesar) of amphipodologists.

Distribution. Suez Channel ( Walker, 1909); Mediterranean coast of Israel; Red Sea: Gulf of Aqaba ( Karaman and Ruffo, 1971: 158; Lyons and Myers, 1993: 587–590); 4–5 m, coral rubble ( Lyons and Myers, 1993).

Discussion. Figures and description of Ledoyer (1982: 523–527) match perfectly with the ones given by Karaman and Ruffo (1971), except the fact that the telson of the Madagascar material shows on the inner side of the lobes some short robust setae, which lack in the figures of Karaman and Ruffo (1971) and the ones by Lyons and Myers (1993).