Zeuxo kermadecensis Bird, 2015

Fig. 12C

Zeuxo kermadecensis: Bird (2015): 375 –381, figs 6–12, 400, table 2; Bird (2019): 71, table 10.

Material examined. 12 manca-II, 28 manca-III, 123 non-ov. ♀♀ 2, 21 prep. ♀♀, 39 ov. ♀♀, 17 prep. ♂♂, 38 cop. ♂♂, AMS P.105582, SWP2017-135-2; 1 manca-II, 5 non-ov. ♀♀, 1 prep. ♀, 2 ov. ♀♀, 4 prep. ♂♂, 3 cop. ♂♂, AMS P.103201, SWP2017-135-3; 1 manca-II, 1 manca-III, 40 non-ov. ♀♀, 19 prep. ♀♀, 33 ov. ♀♀, 1 post-ov. ♀, 12 prep. ♂♂, 20 cop. ♂♂, AMS P.103214, SWP2017-135-3; 4 non-ov. ♀♀, 2 prep. ♀♀, 1 ov. ♀, 1 post-ov. ♀, 3 cop. ♂♂, AIM MA168503, SWP2017-137 -2; 35 manca-II, 31 manca-III, 237 non-ov. ♀♀, 60 prep. ♀♀, 41 ov. ♀♀, 120 prep. ♂♂, 61 cop. ♂♂, AMS P.103245, SWP2017-137-3; 2 prep. ♂♂, AMS P.103207, SWP2017-141; 1 manca-II, 2 manca-III, 35 non-ov. ♀♀, ten prep. ♀♀, 15 ov. ♀♀, 21 prep. ♂♂, 27 cop. ♂♂, AMS P.103193, SWP2017-141-2; 1 manca-II, 6 non-ov. ♀♀, 2 prep. ♀♀, 1 ov. ♀, 2 prep. ♂♂, 3 cop. ♂♂, AMS P.103189, SWP2017-143-2; 3 manca- II, 8 non-ov. ♀♀, 2 prep. ♀♀, 1 post-ov. ♀, 5 prep. ♂♂, 3 cop. ♂♂, AMS P.103211, SWP2017-143-3; 1 non-ov. ♀, 1 prep. ♀, 1 ov. ♀, 1 prep. ♂, 1 cop. ♂, AMS P.103261, SWP2017-145 .

Distribution. Raoul, Macauley, and Cheeseman islands, L’Esperance Rock, 4– 24 m.

Remarks. The most abundant of the Kermadecian tanaids in this survey, Z. kermadecensis was recorded at a similar range of localities as in the K2011 survey, and at similar depths. A similar species, Zeuxo seurati (Nobili, 1906), occurs further East in French Polynesia and the morphological differences between them were described and tabulated by Bird (2019: 55 – 56, table 8). Some of the specimens of Z. kermadecensis had a pale violet colour after preservation, along with the usual darker pigmented areas, but no obvious morphological differences could be distinguished; this may be a protective colouration for specimens inhabiting dense red algae.

2 These may include early preparatory males,