Latigammaropsis abbotti ( J.L. Barnard, 1965 )

Myers, A. A., 2014, Amphipoda (Crustacea) from Palau, Micronesia: Families Melphidippidae, Oedicerotidae, Photidae, Pleustidae, Podoceridae, Stenothoidae, Synopiidae and Talitridae, Zootaxa 3811 (4), pp. 535-552 : 538-539

Latigammaropsis abbotti ( J.L. Barnard, 1965)

( Fig. 3 )

Megamphopus abbotti J.L. Barnard, 1965: 537 , fig. 32.

Gammaropsis abbotti .— Ledoyer, 1972: 237, pl. 50.— Ledoyer, 1978: 288.— Ledoyer, 1979a: 155.— Ledoyer, 1979b: 31.— Ledoyer, 1983: 211, fig. 73.— Myers, 1995: 51.

Latigammaropsis abbotti .— Myers, 2009: 777.

Material examined. 6 males, 3 females ( OUMNH.ZC.2002.24.122) Beluu Lukes Reef, eastern side, from Scleronephtya sp. ( Alcyonacea : Nephtheidae ), 20 m depth, cave overhang; 07°17.530'N, 134°30.870'E; leg. S. De Grave & C. Burras, 20 May 2002; 1 male ( OUMNH.ZC.2002.24.123) Pkuklim Reef; from Halimeda sp. (Chlorophyta) washings, 6 m depth; 07°20.542'N, 134°34.023'E; leg. S. De Grave & C. Burras, 29 May 2002.

Remarks. Present material agrees well with original description of J.L. Barnard, 1965 except in having a round eye. J.L. Barnard (1965) discussed eye shape in Eurystheus (= Gammaropsis and Latigammaropsis in part) and pointed out that Stebbing’s (1888) concept of differences (between species) based on eyes was destroyed by Tattersall (1922), who reported E. atlanticus …. that mixed together specimens having oval eyes …. with specimens having lageniform eyes with a neck stretched up onto the head. J.L. Barnard himself (1965), reported material referable to E. atlanticus in Micronesia with oval eyes, and other material from Micronesia, also referable to E. atlanticus with lageniform eyes. According to Tattersall (1922), the lageniform eye was associated with a terminal condition of adulthood. It should be noted, however, that the holotype male of L. abbotti figured by J.L. Barnard (1965), that has a lageniform eye, is 2.75 mm. Present material with an oval eye includes males of a length (anterior margin of head to tip of telson) of 3.0 mm. For the moment we consider that eye shape is variable between populations and assign the present material to L. abbotti (J.L. Barnard) .

Distribution. Madagascar: Tulear ( Ledoyer 1972, 1979b, 1982); Mauritius ( Ledoyer 1978); Indonesia: Amboina ( Ledoyer 1979a); Papua New Guinea: Madang ( Myers 1995); Caroline Islands: Ifaluk atoll; Marshall Islands ( J.L. Barnard 1965); Palau (present study).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Latigammaropsis abbotti (J. L. Barnard), male, 3.5 mm, Beluu Lukes reef, Palau.