Manipontonia persiana, Marin, Ivan, 2010

Marin, Ivan, 2010, A second species of the genus Manipontonia Bruce, Okuno & Li, 2005 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palaemonidae) *, Zootaxa 2372, pp. 61-68 : 64-65

Manipontonia persiana n. sp.

( Figs. 3–4 )

Material examined. Ovigerous holotype female, pocl 4.8 mm, SMF 34603, Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf, Pg- 16 Ku, 28º49.661’N 49º48.506’E, 51 m depth, beamtrawl, r/v “ Akademik ”, 11.XII.1991; 2 ov. female paratypes, SMF 34604, same data as holotype.

Description. Holotype female. Medium-sized shrimp with slender body ( Fig. 3 ). Carapace swollen, smooth, with antennal and hepatic teeth; hepatic tooth smaller than antennal, situated posterior and slightly above the level of antennal tooth; epigastric (postrostral) tooth clearly separated form rostral teeth, well developed, with serrated ventral margin. Rostrum ( Fig. 4 B) long and very slender, about twice as long as scaphocerite, with distal part turned upward, rostral formula 1+5/0. Holotype female bearing rostrum with well marked proximal dorsal crest bearing 3 large, ventrally serrated, teeth and 1 dorsal tooth on its intermediate part; distal part of rostrum slender, smooth dorsally and ventrally, with small subapical dorsal tooth. Probably, rostrum of holotype female damaged (see remarks below). Inferior orbital angle greatly produced, rounded.

Abdominal somites smooth, tergites non-carinate or posteriorly produced; pleura of first to fifth abdominal somites posteroventrally rounded. Telson slender, tapering distally, about 4 times as long as anterior width, with 2 pairs of dorsal spines at 0.5 and 0.75 of length, posterior spines significantly smaller than anterior spines; with three pairs of posterior marginal spines.

Eyes large and well developed, with rounded cornea.

Antennules well developed; basal segment about 3 times as long as wide; lateral border well defined from stalk of segment, bearing large acute distolateral tooth and median lobe, with small ventromedial spine at centre of segment; intermediate segment robust, about 1.5 times as long as wide; distal segment about 2 times as long as wide; lateral antennal flagellum with proximal 5 or 6 joints fused, secondary ramus with more than 10 free joints carrying aesthetascs.

Antenna well developed; basicerite with distolateral margin pointed, with distolateral tooth; carpocerite about 1.5 times as long as wide; scaphocerite slender and exceeding antennular stalk, about half as long as rostrum, about three times as long as maximal width; distolateral tooth, not exceeding blade.

Mouthparts without special features, completely similar to M. psamathe (see Bruce 1978: 220, fig. 7). Mandible normal, without palp; incisor process slender, tapering distally, with terminal teeth; molar process well developed. Maxillula normal; palp well developed, bilobed; upper lacinia larger than lower, rounded distally, with distal spines; lower lacinia robust, rounded distally, with distal setae. Maxilla with well developed simple palp; endites well developed, fused, furnished with stiff, elongate setae; scaphognathite well developed with plumose marginal setae. First maxilliped with fused endites; palp well developed; exopod well developed with large caridean lobe bearing plumose marginal setae; epipod ear-shaped. Second maxilliped with well developed exopod; dactylus about 3 times longer than broad, concave, with numerous spines along distal margin; epipod, subrectangular; podobranch absent. Third maxilliped with slender segments; coxa with distinct tubercle bearing several long plumose setae, with well developed ear-shaped epipod; small arthrobranch present, pleurobranch absent; basis and ischiomerus fused, combined segment is about 11 times as long as wide; penultimate segment slender, about 6 times as long as wide; terminal segment also slender, about 5 times as long as wide; exopod well developed.

First pereiopod slender, segments unarmed; basis about 1.5 times as long as wide; ischium about 3 times as long as wide; merus slender, about 10 times longer than wide; carpus slender, 10 times as long as wide; propodus 2 tames as long as wide, subcylindrical; fingers slender, about 5 times as long as wide, with feebly developed straight cutting edges.

Second pereiopods very unequal; major pereiopod ( Fig. 4 D) overreaching scaphocerite by almost entire merus; with basis equal in length and width; ischium about 6 times as long as maximal width; merus about 17 times as long as maximal width, slightly spinulate; carpus about 7 times as long as maximal width, bearing numerous small teeth, broadening distally; palm ( Fig. 4 E) cylindrical, about 7.5 times as long as maximal width, bearing numerous small tubercles; fingers slender, about 5 times as long as wide, straight, bearing 2 triangular teeth on proximal part, with straight cutting edges and slightly curved, acute tips. Ratio of dactylus: propodus: carpus about 1: 4: 3.5. Minor pereiopod ( Fig. 4 F) with slender and smooth segments, basis equal in length and width; ischium about 16 times as long as maximal width; merus about 21 times as long as maximal width; carpus about 13 times as long as maximum width, broadening distally; palm cylindrical, about 7 times as long as maximal width; fingers slender, about 5 times as long as wide, straight, with straight cutting edges and acute tips. Ratio of dactylus: propodus: carpus is about 1: 2: 5.

Third pereiopod slender; basis about as long as wide; ischium about 4 times as long as wide; merus about 16 times as long as wide; carpus about 9 times as long as maximal widt, with projecting disto-dorsal margin; propodus about 20 times as long as wide, with 5 ventral spines at 0.2, 0.5, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9 of length respectively, with pair of slender simple distoventral spines; dactylus simple, slender and curved, about 4–8 times shorter than propodus, about 4 times longer than wide, with acute, sharp tip. Fourth and fifth pereiopods similar. Pleopods normal. Uropods slender, exceeding telson; lateral border of uropodal endopod with distal tooth and mobile spine.

Etymology. The species is named after the locality of the type specimen, the Persian Gulf, Iran.

Host and coloration. Unknown.

Distribution. The species is known only from the type locality in the northern part of the Persian Gulf; sublittoral, 50 m.

Remarks. Manipontonia persiana n. sp, is a larger species than M. psamathe . In general, the morphology of M. persiana sp. n. is very similar to M. psamathe , but the species differ in the proportions of the major, second pereiopod (an important, species specific, feature in many pontoniine genera, e.g. Rapipontonia , see Marin 2007). The segment ratios of the major second pereiopod in M. psamathe are 1: 2.5: 6 (dactylus: propodus: carpus) versus 1: 4: 3.5 in M. persiana n. sp. In addition, the second pereiopod is significantly more slender in M. psamathe than in M. persiana sp. n.

The rostrum of the holotype female of M. persiana sp. n. was probably damaged and abnormally developed, exhibiting one additional tooth on the crest and a small triangular tubercle in the place of the most distal dorsal tooth (not subapical). This differs from the rostral armature in the 2 paratype females of a similar size. Thus, the normal rostral formula for the species is probably 1+5/0, with a well marked proximal dorsal crest bearing 2 large teeth and 2 dorsal teeth in its intermediate part and a small subapical dorsal tooth ( Fig. 4 A).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Manipontonia persiana sp. nov., female, holotype, SMF 34603. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 4. Manipontonia persiana sp. nov.: A; B, carapace, lateral view; C, eyes; D, major second pereiopod; E, same, chela; F, minor second pereiopod. A, paratype female, SMF 34604; B – F, holotype female, SMF 34603. Scale bars = 1 mm.