Vaunthompsonia cristata Bate, 1858

Petrescu, Iorgu, Chatterjee, Tapas & Schizas, Nikolaos V., 2014, New records of Bodotriidae (Crustacea: Cumacea) from Puerto Rico with descriptions of three new species, Zootaxa 3873 (5), pp. 526-540 : 533-536

Vaunthompsonia cristata Bate, 1858

( Figs. 4 , 5 )

Material examined. 1 immature ♀, Tourmaline North Buoy, Puerto Rico, 18°10' 31"N, 67°19' 38"W, 29. 0 4. 2012, 52 m, MGAB CUM 1703; 1 immature ♀, east St. John, 18°13'18"N, 64°40'33"W, 8.05.2012, 24– 30 m, MGAB CUM 1704; 1 immature ♀, St. Croix, 17°50' 03"N, 64° 28'33"W, 4. 0 5. 2012, 68 m, MGAB CUM 1705; 2 immature ♀♀, Lang Bank, St. Croix, 17°50' 03"N, 64° 28'33"W 55 m, 6. 0 5. 2012, MGAB CUM 1706; 5 manca, east St. John, 8. 0 5. 2012, 53 m, MGAB CUM 1707; 1 manca, Cane Bay, St. Croix, 17°6'26" N, 64°48'50" W, 60 m, 30. 0 4. 2011, MGAB CUM 1698. GPS coordinates for these locations are provided in Sherman et al. (2013).

Diagnosis. Elongated body, female with double spiny keel. Pereopod 1 basis with 2 stout long setae on medial margin. Uropodal peduncle as long as exopod, endopod with 2 articles, proximal longer.

Immature female

Description. A detailed description can be found in Sars (1879) and Petrescu (2002).

Body ( Fig. 4 A) size: 2.75 mm.

Carapace ( Fig. 4 A, B). Antenna 1 ( Fig. 4 C) and labium ( Fig. 4 D) as drawn in respective figures.

Mandible ( Fig. 4 E). Pars incisiva with four teeth and robust pars molaris.

Maxilla 1 ( Fig. 4 F). Outer endite with five simple setae and three serrate ones, inner endite with five setae, palpus with two unequal filaments.

Maxilla 2 ( Fig. 4 G). Apical ending articles with simple and pectinated curved setae, simple, pappose and pectinated ones on top of protopod, numerous simple stout setae on medial margin.

Maxilliped 1 ( Fig. 4 H). Several hand-like setae on medial margin of carpus.

Maxilliped 2 ( Fig. 5 A). In present collections, the immature female specimens with short merus, with 1 plumose seta on medial margin, carpus with 2 pappose setae on outer margin, propodus with 3 pappose setae on medial margin, dactylus with a strong terminal seta.

Maxilliped 3 ( Fig. 5 B). Basis with setules on proximal half and plumose setae on distal serrate one.

Pereopod 1 ( Fig. 5 C). Basis 0.45 times rest of articles combined length, 10 simple short setae and 2 stout longer ones on medial margin, merus 2.18 times ischium length, 1 simple seta on medial margin of ischium, 1 seta on each margin of merus, serrate medial margin, carpus 1.70 times merus length, serrate medial margin, 2 medial setae and 1 outer seta, propodus 1.18 times carpus length, 4 simple setae on medial margin, 3 on outer one, dactylus 0.66 times propodus length, 2 simple setae on both margins, 5 subterminal setae and 1 stout terminal seta; small exopod.

Pereopod 2 ( Fig. 5 D). Basis 0.63 times rest of articles of articles combined length, 4 simple setae and 1 stout one on medial margin, 1 simple seta on outer margin, merus 2.50 times ischium length, 1 simple and 1 stout seta on medial margin of ischium, 2 simple setae on medial margin and 1 on outer one, carpus as long as merus, 3 simple setae on medial margin, 1 on outer one, dactylus 3 times as long as propodus, 1 seta on medial margin of propodus, 4 on medial margin of dactylus, 2 on outer one, 4 subterminal setae and 1 terminal 0.73 times dactylus length; small exopod.

Pereopod 3 ( Fig. 5 E). Basis 1.13 times as long as rest of articles combined length, 2 simple setae on medial margin, merus as long as ischium, 2 simple setae on merus, carpus 1.33 times merus length, 3 simple setae and 2 annulate ones, propodus 0.62 times carpus length, 1 annulate seta on medial margin, dactylus 0.8 times propodus length; slender exopod.

Pereopods 4 and 5 ( Fig. 5 F, G). Very similar to those in Sars (1879) and Petrescu (2002).

Uropod ( Fig. 5 H). Uropodal peduncle 0.91 times pleonite 6 length, 0.84 times endopod length, 6 setae on medial margin, exopod 0.86 times endopod length, distal article 2 times as long as proximal one, 2 simple setae on outer margin, 3 on medial one, terminal stout seta 0.9 times distal article of exopod, distal article of endopod 0.66 times proximal article length, 6 setae on medial margin of proximal article, 2 setae on distal one, terminal stout seta 1.1 times distal article length.

Remarks. Maxilliped 3 basis with setules on proximal half, not plumose setae like in Sars, 1879 and Petrescu, 2002 and plumose setae on whole margin similar to Gamô, 1962 and Kang & Lee, 1995, propodus with characteristic two setae backwardly projected (absent in Kang & Lee, 1995 and Petrescu, 2002). Pereopod 1 with longer dactylus than in Petrescu (2002). Pereopod 2 with fewer setae on dactylus than in Sars’ specimens, but with more setae than in Belizean specimens. Pereopod 3 with fewer setae than in Sars' (1879) description. Pereopods 4 and 5 without the plumose setae of the Atlantic specimens. Specimens from Puerto Rico with segment 6 of pleon longer than in European specimens, uropodal peduncle also longer than females from Atlantic and Belize and longer exopod than in Sars and Petrescu (op. cit.); peduncle and rami with fewer setae than in females from Atlantic and Belize.

Distribution. Initially described from the Atlantic waters of Europe ( Bate, 1858, Jones, 1976), but also from the Mediterranean Sea ( Sars, 1879), South Africa ( Day, 1975), SE Asia, Annam, Fage, 1951), Japan ( Gamô. 1962, 1967), Korea ( Kang & Lee, 1995), Indonesia ( Petrescu, 1997). The species was first mentioned from the western Atlantic by Calman (1907) from Cruz Bay, St. Jan ( Danish West Indies), 6/1/96, about 20 specimens, all males. Other reports from the western Atlantic are from Belize ( Petrescu, 2002, females) and Exuma Islands ( Bahamas) ( Petrescu, 2003, males and females).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Vaunthompsonia cristata Bate, 1858 female A, body, lateral view; B, carapace, dorsal view; C, antenna 1; D, labium; E, mandible; F, maxilla 1; G, maxilla 2; H, maxilliped 1. Scales in mm: A, 1; B, 0.5; C, 0.2; D, E, H, 0.1; F, G, 0.05.

FIGURE 5. Vaunthompsonia cristata Bate, 1858 female A, maxilliped 2; B, maxilliped 3; C, pereopod 1; D, pereopod 2; E, pereopod 3; F, pereopod 4; G, pereopod 5; H, uropod. Scales in mm: A, 0.1; B – H, 0.2.