Plesionika aff. binoculus ( Bate, 1888 )

Li, Xinzheng & Komai, Tomoyuki, 2003, Pandaloid Shrimps From The Northern South China Sea, With Description Of A New Species Of Plesionika (Crustacea: Decapoda: Caridea), Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 51 (2), pp. 257-275 : 270

Plesionika aff. binoculus ( Bate, 1888)

( Fig. 8 )

Material examined. – 1 ovig. female (cl 12.4 mm) ( IOCAS), CN N139 B-21, 18 30’N, 110 30’E, 101m, sandy mud, AT, coll. J. Liu, 9 Mar.1960 .

Remarks. – The present specimen shows the following features: rostrum somewhat curved dorsally, distinctly overreaching antennal scale, armed dorsally with 12 irregularly spaced teeth, including four on carapace posterior to level of orbital margin, four posteriormost teeth basally articulated but none with barbed tips; ventral margin of rostrum armed with 13 teeth; postrostral crest weakly elevated; stylocerite acute, overreaching dorsal arc of distal margin of first antennular segment; third maxilliped with penultimate segment 0.60 times as long as ultimate segment; third maxilliped and anterior four pairs of pereopods each bearing hooked epipods; second pereopods greatly unequal, shorter (right) one with 30 carpal articles, longer (left) one with about 110 carpal articles; third pereopods with dactylus about 0.33 times as long as propodus; fourth and fifth abdominal somites each with pleural posteroventral tooth; telson bearing four pairs of dorsolateral spines, including pair adjacent to lateral pair of posterior spines. Most of these features link this specimen to Plesionika binoculus ( Bate, 1888) known so far only from the Arafura Sea ( Chace, 1985). However, our specimen is apparently different from P. binoculus in having a relatively more elevated postrostral crest and two broadly based fixed teeth anterior to level of the orbital margin. In these points, our specimen shows some similarities to P. lophotes Chace, 1985 . However, P. lophotes is characterized by having a very high rostral crest as well as very long dactyli on the posterior pereopods. It may be possible that our specimen represents an undescribed species, but the insufficiency of the material available for study prevents us for acting any further.

Figures

Fig. 8. Plesionika aff. binoculus (Bate, 1888). Body, lateral view. Ovigerous female from northern South China Sea (CN N139B-21, IOCAS). Scale = 4 mm.