Quadrimaera cf. reishi (J.L. Barnard, 1979 )

Krapp-Schickel, Traudl, 2009, Maeridae, the Ceradocus group *, Zootaxa 2260 (1), pp. 598-642 : 631

Quadrimaera cf. reishi (J.L. Barnard, 1979)

( Fig. 22 )

Maera reishi . — Berents, 1983: 129, fig. 23.

Quadrimaera reishi . — Lowry & Stoddart, 2003: 186 (catalogue).

Material examined. 1 male (slide), AM P30094 (75 LIZ 4-3) ; 2 males, AM P30159 (76 LIZ A) ; 1 male, 1 juvenile, AM P30160 (76 LIZ B12-24-2) .

Description. Based on male, 4.0 mm, AM P30160.

Head. Head lateral cephalic lobe rounded, anteroventral slit absent, anteroventral corner acute. Eye rounded. Antenna 1 peduncular article 2 longer than article 1; accessory flagellum with 5 articles. Antenna 2 peduncular gland cone surpassing article 3, article 4 longer than article 5. Upper lip thickened. Mandible palp article 1 distally oblique, article 3 shorter than article 2.

Pereon. Gnathopod 1 coxa subquadrate, anterodistal corner rounded; carpus longer than propodus; propodus posterior margin rounded. Gnathopod 2 propodus rectangular, widening distally, palm with deep Ushaped excavation medially, distally defined by deep narrow incision and sharp prominent spine. Pereopods 3–7 basis with short setae; ischium, merus, carpus and propodus with many long robust setae, dactylus bifid.

Pleon. Uropod 3 rami unequal, distally truncate with many long robust setae. Telson deeply cleft, lobes truncate with 3 long, robust setae of about length of telson.

Female (sexually dimorphic characters). Unknown.

Variation. Telson may have very shallow excavations.

Habitat. Rock covered with algae ( Chlorodesmis ), 18 m.

Remarks. The unusually long gland cone fits to the description of Q. reishi J.L. Barnard, 1979 , and so do the first gnathopods and the pereopods. However, in the original description of Q. reishi the third article of the mandible palp is clearly longer than the second one (as in Q. quadrimana ( Dana, 1853) and Q. pacifica ( Schellenberg, 1938)) and the male of 5.5 mm has a deep V-shaped medial incision in the propodus palm, neither of which is visible in the here studied material, while in the original description of Q. reishi the gnathopod 2 of a 6.5 mm long male matches well the Lizard Island males of 4.8 mm. The present material is also similar to Quadrimaera pieteri Krapp-Schickel & Ruffo, 2000 , Q. massavensis ( Kossmann, 1880) , Q. santiniae Krapp-Schickel & Ruffo, 2006 , Q. trisinuata ( Mateus & Mateus, 1986) and Q. incerta ( Chilton, 1883) , all of which have the mandible palp article 3 shorter than article 2, a relatively short and wide basis on gnathopod 2, a short merus on pereopod 7 which does not reach half length of carpus, a propodus of pereopod 7 with only one tuft of setae on posterior margin, a slender uropod 3 with the ratio of outer ramus to peduncle longer than 1, and shallow excavated telsonic lobes with few, but longer, robust setae.

Distribution. Australia. Queensland: Lizard Island ( Berents 1983).

Figures

FIGURE 22. Quadrimaera cf. reishi (J.L. Barnard, 1979), 1 male, 4.0 mm, AM P30160, Palfrey Island, Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef.