Gammaropsis hephaestus, Myers, 2009

Myers, Alan A., 2009, Photidae *, Zootaxa 2260 (1), pp. 771-799 : 771-774

Gammaropsis hephaestus sp. nov.

( Figs 1 , 2 )

Type material. Holotype, male, 6.0 mm, AM P70730, Watsons Bay , Lizard Island (14°39’41”S

145°26’52”E), Udotea (green alga) and sand, 8.5 m, P.B. Berents & C. Rakocinski, 24 February 2005 ( QLD 1640 ). Paratypes: 2 females AM P75459, same data as holotype .

Additional material examined. 1 female, AM P70698 ( QLD 1640 ) .

Type locality. Watsons Bay , Lizard island, Queensland, Australia (14°39’41”S 145°26’52”E) .

Etymology. Greek mythology: Hephaestus , the God of fire and crafts.

Description. Based on holotype, male, 6.0 mm, AM P70730.

Head. Head lateral cephalic lobes rounded, anteroventral margin weakly recessed, not extending behind posterior margin of eye. Eye subtriangular, large, more than one quarter length of head length, partially situated within the lateral lobe. Upper lip epistome absent. Mandible palp article 3 spatulate, widest subdistally. Antenna 1 peduncular article 1 distinctly shorter than article 3; flagellum with 15 articles; accessory flagellum distinct and multiarticulate. Antenna 2 long, over half body length; flagellum distinctly longer than peduncular article 5, with 14 articles.

Pereon. Coxae 1–2 without spines on distal margin. Coxa 1 not distally acute. Gnathopod 1 distinctly different in size from gnathopod 2; carpus anterior margin with robust setae, distinctly shorter than propodus; propodus between 1.5 and 3 x as long as wide, posterodistal margin excavate. Gnathopod 2 basis anterior margin with dense long setae; carpus with distinct free posterior expansion; propodus long, a little more than twice length of carpus, posterodistal margin with robust setae, with a single excavation; dactylus long, distinctly longer than half length of propodus. Pereopod 3 merus with few setae on anterior margin. Pereopods 5–7 basis with few setae. Pereopod 5 basis slightly expanded, distinctly longer than broad.

Pleon. Urosomites 1–2 without dorsolateral spines. Epimeron 3 posterodistal margin with small spine and notch. Uropod 1 peduncle with short distoventral spine; rami distinctly unequal in length. Uropod 2 peduncle with distoventral spine; rami distinctly unequal in length. Uropod 3 biramous; peduncle distinctly shorter than the longest ramus; both rami well developed; outer ramus with terminal fine setae. Telson with terminal robust seta on each side.

Female (sexually dimorphic characters). Based on paratype female 6.4 mm, AM P75459. Gnathopod 1 carpus anterior margin with fine setae only, carpus subequal in length to propodus; posterodistal margin evenly rounded. Gnathopod 2 basis anterior margin with a few short setae only, with weak excavation terminating weakly convex palm .

Habitat. Udotea (green alga) and sand.

Remarks. The combination of triangular eye, male gnathopod 1 carpus anterior margin with robust setae and male gnathopod 2 with dense setation on the anterior margin of the basis, carpus and propodus, is not found in any other known Gammaropsis species.

Distribution. Australia. Queensland: Lizard Island (current study).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Gammaropsis hephaestus sp. nov., holotype, male, 6.0 mm, AM P70730, Watsons Bay, Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef.

FIGURE 2. Gammaropsis hephaestus sp. nov., holotype, male, 6.0 mm, paratype female, 6.4 mm, AM P70730, Watsons Bay, Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef.