Chondrochelia acrolophus (Bird, 2015)

Fig. 12A

Leptochelia acrolophus: Bird (2015): 383 –390, figs 14–20; 400, table 2.

Chondrochelia acrolophus (Bird, 2015): Bird (2019): 10, table 4.

Chondrochelia acrolophus Bird, 2015 [sic]: Bird (2019): 70, table 10.

Material examined. 9 manca-III, 27 non-ov. ♀♀, 2 ov. ♀♀, 1 post-ov. ♀♀, 1 copulatory (cop.) ♂, AIM MA168501, SWP2017-135 -2; 1 manca-III, 8 non-ov. ♀♀, 1 prep. ♀, 2 ov. ♀♀, 2 cop. ♂♂, AMS P.105591, SWP2017-135-3; 1 manca-II, 2 manca-III, 9 non-ov. ♀♀, 1 prep. ♀, AMS P.105596, SWP2017-137-2; 3 manca-II, 2 manca-III, 68 non-ov. ♀♀, 2 prep. ♀♀, 3 ov. ♀♀, AMS P.105592, SWP2017-137-3; 5 non-ov. ♀♀, 1 prep. ♀, AMS P.105587, SWP2017-143-2; 1 manca-III, six non-ov. ♀♀, 1 ov. ♀, 2 cop. ♂♂, AMS P.105590, SWP2017-143-3; 1 non-ov. ♀, AMS P.103257, 2 manca-III, 2 non-ov. ♀♀, 1 post-ov. ♀, AMS P.105598, SWP2017-145 .

Distribution. Raoul Island, Macauley Island and L’Esperance Rock, 4– 30 m.

Remarks. This species was originally described as Leptochelia acrolophus but, following a review of the family Leptocheliidae by Guţu (2016), Bird (2019) assigned it to the genus Chondrochelia . It is the second most abundant tanaid in the Kermadecian part of the SWP2017 survey after the tanaidid Zeuxo kermadecensis, and these new records concur with those obtained in the K2011 collection (Bird 2015: 383, 389). A similar species, C. corfortis Bird, 2019 was recently described from French Polynesia, with a tabulated comparison of other Chondrochelia species from the Indopacific and nearby regions (ibid: 25, table 5).