Andaniotes lowryi, Berge, 2001

Berge, JØrgen, 2001, Revision of the Amphipod (Crustacea: Stegocephalidae) genera Andaniotes Stebbing, 1897 and Metandania Stephensen, 1925, Journal of Natural History 35 (6), pp. 787-832 : 799-803

Andaniotes lowryi n.sp.

(®gures 5±8)

HOLOTYPE: Female A, AM P 52750.

PARATYPES: 122 specimens (males and females), AM P 52750, 43 ss 07.77 ¾ S, 145 ss 59.47 ¾ E .

Distribution Known only from its type locality, Fortescue Bay, Tasmania. Description

Length of males and females: 5±7 mm.

Rostrum very small.

Antennae short. Antenna 1 as long as antenna 2; ¯agellum four-articulate; accessory ¯agellum article 2 absent. Antenna 2 peduncle (articles 3±5) longer than ¯agellum; article 3 short, about as long as broad; article 4 longer than article 5.

Epistome produced laterally; rectangular, with a long ridge on each side; epistomal plate (medial keel) produced into a small elongate medial ridge covering the entire epistome.

Mouthparts not elongate or pointed.

Mandible incisor transverse, smooth; left lacinia mobilis present, reduced, laterally straight, not conical.

Maxilla 1 palp uni-articulate, rectangular, setae long, simple, slender, apex not reaching above the apex of outer plate; outer plate distally rounded; ST in two parallel rows, ®rst marginal and second submarginal, ST ®rst row with six setae (ST1±5, ST7), ST 1 ordinary (similar to ST 2±4), gap between ST 5 and ST 7; ST A±C present, part of second row; inner plate without a well developed shoulder, setae pappose.

Maxilla 2 ordinary; outer plate setae without distal hooks or cleft; inner plate setae row A covering the entire margin, clearly separated from row B, row A setae pappose, ®rst three or four setae diOEerentiated from the other setae (weakly pappopectinate); row B setae proximally pappose, distally with cusps; row C present; row D absent.

Maxilliped palp four-articulate; article 2 distally unproduced; dactylus distally simple (pointed); inner plate not exceeding base of palp article 1, with three nodular setae; medial setae-row present, reduced to two to three setae, transverse, setae simple; distal setae-row present; inner setae-row present, reduced to one or two setae, setae not conspicuously large; outer plate outer setae-row present, marginal, setae attached normally, long, robust, straight; inner setae-row present but strongly reduced, setae long, robust, slender, parallel but not appressed to outer setae-row; distal setae-group absent.

Labrum very short, lobes symmetrical and reduced.

Labium distally broad, oval.

Coxal plates and basis on the pereopods smooth. Coxae 1±3 contiguous.

Pereopod 1 coxal plate not as deep as basis; propodus subovate.

Pereopod 2 longer and thinner than pereopod 1; ischium elongate, ratio length:- breadth exceeding 1.5; ischium distal posterior margin with plumose setae; propodus subrectangular; palm absent.

Pereopod 4 coxa posteroventra l lobe small, reaching about the base of the pereon segment 6; basis anterior margin without long setae, posterior margin with long setae, plumose setae on distal anterior and posterior margins; ischium with plumose setae on posterior distal margin.

Pereopod 6 basis posteriorly expanded, expansion conspicuous, rounded posteriorly, with a row of long plumose setae.

Pereopod 7 basis anterior margin straight, distally rounded, medial row of setae present, setae short and robust.

Oostegites on pereopod 3±5. Gills on pereopods 2±7.

Pleonites 1±3 dorsally smooth.

Urosomites 2 and 3 fused. Uropod 1 peduncle longer than rami, outer ramus longer than inner. Uropod 2 peduncle longer than rami, outer ramus shorter than inner. Uropod 3 peduncle longer than half the length of rami, outer ramus twoarticulate, outer ramus longer than inner.

Telson longer than broad; shorter than uropod 3 peduncle; with submarginal setae on apex of each lobe; cleft, apically rounded

Males. Pereopod 2 propodus equally sized in males and females. Urosome conspicuously larger than in females; uropod 1 outer ramus enlarged, curved upwards; uropod 2 outer ramus ordinary; uropod 3 rami reduced.

Etymology

This species is named for Professor Jim Lowry (Sydney) for his contributions to the knowledge of the Amphipoda ; he has also kindly provided me with numerous samples of stegocephalid species from Australia.

Remarks

The present species is part of a group of species ( A. bagabag , A. karkar , A. lowryi and A. wallaroo ) that all possess a pereopod 7 very similar to pereopod 6 (versus pereopod 7 clearly diOEerentiated from 6). Furthermore, the oostegite on pereopod 2 is absent, a character state shared with both A. bagabag , A. karkar and A. wollongong . In addition to this, A. lowryi and A. wollongong have the gills on pereopods 2 and 3 reduced (this character has not been possible to check for A. bagabag and A. karkar ).

The present species seems to be most closely related to A. bagabag , separated mainly by the absence of a second article on antenna 1 accessory ¯agellum, the presence of plumose setae on the posterodistal margin on the basis of pereopod 4, and by the shorter dactyli on pereopods 5±7.