Cubadeutella cavernicola

Ortiz, Manuel, Guerra-García, José M. & Lalana, Rogelio, 2009, Cubadeutella cavernicola, a new genus and species of Caprellidae (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from Cuba, Zootaxa 2130, pp. 60-68 : 61-67

Cubadeutella cavernicola n. sp

( Figs 1–5 )

Type material: Male Holotype, Collection of Marine Invertebrate Animals, Center for Marine Research, Universidad de la Habana, Cuba, No. 156, Female paratype, Same collection No. 157. Both specimens were collected from a submarine cave by Dr. Jesús Ortea Rato together with a new species of Elasmopus ( Amphipoda, Gammaridea , Melitidae ) remaining to be described; rasped material from cave walls; november 2007.

Type locality: María La Gorda, South of Guanahacabibes Peninsula, Pinar del Río Province, submarine cave, Yemall Diver Point, 16–26 m, Cuba ( Fig. 1 )

Etymology: The specific name is an adjective qualifying the habitat where the species were found.

Description: Holotype male (No 156)

Lateral view ( Fig. 2 ): Head with a pair of dorsal projections. Pereonite 1 fused with head, suture absent. Pereonite 2 with three acute projections dorsally; two small acute ventral proyections laterally at each side. Pereonite 3 with a single dorsal projection distally and a rounded small proyection medially. Pereonite 4 with a small hump dorsally. Pereonites 5–7 smooth. Pereonites 3 and 4 subequal in lenght. Pereonite 5 the longest. Pereonite 7 the shortest.

Gills ( Fig. 2 ): Elongate, length about 3.5 times width.

Mouthparts ( Fig. 3 ): Mandibles with 3-articulate palp; distal article of palp with a setal formula 1-7-1; second article provided with three setae; mandibular molar robust; left mandible with incisor and lacinia mobilis 5-toothed followed by three plumose setae; incisor of right mandible 5-toothed, lacinia mobilis serrate followed by a pair of small plates; molar flake absent. Upper lip smooth, lobes rectangular. Lower lip with well-demarcated inner lobes; outer lobes provided with setulae on apical margin. Maxilla 1 outer lobe with 5 setae; palp with two distal setae and 2 lateral setae. Maxilla 2 inner lobe triangular; outer lobe slightly larger than inner lobe, rectangular. Maxilliped inner plate oval with three setae and a tooth; outer plate about 1.5 times as large as inner plate, with 4 setae; palp 4-articulate, penultimate article of the palp without a distal projection.

Antennae (Figs. 2,4): Antenna 1 about 2/3 of body length; flagellum 22-articulate. Antenna 2 with short setae (no swimming setae); basal article of the peduncle with a distal projection; flagellum 4-articulate, although the two proximal articles are partially fused, and distal one is tiny.

Gnathopods ( Fig.4 ): Gnathopod 1 basis longer than ischium, merus and carpus combined; propodus length about 2 times width, palm with denticulate margin, without grasping spines. Gnathopod 2 inserted on the anterior half of pereonite 2; basis as long as pereonite 2, with a distal proyection; ischium rectangular; merus rounded; carpus short and triangular; propodus elongate, about 1.2 times as long as the basis; palm with a proximal projection carrying one grasping spine, a medial proyection and a distal rounded projections; dactylus elongate.

Pereopods ( Fig. 5 ): Pereopods 3 and 4 subequal, 4-articulate, length about 1/3 of gills. Proximal article as long as the other three combined. Pereopod 5 less robust than pereopods 6 and 7, 6-articulate, propodus without grasping spines. Pereopod 6 and 7 similar in feature, 6-articulate; propodus with proximal grasping spine.

Penes ( Fig. 5 ) elongated, situated medially

Abdomen ( Fig. 5 ) with a pair of appendages 2-articulate, a pair of lateral lobes and a single dorsal lobe.

Paratype female. Similar to the male holotype apart from the following characters: pereonite 3 and 4 with acute projections medially; flagellum of antenna 1 with 20 articles; gnathopod 2 propodus more rounded than in male, with a projection proximally and two projections distally; oostegites on pereonite 3 and 4 without setae; abdomen without appendages.

Remarks. The genus Cubadeutella is close to the genus Deutella . The genus Deutella was established by Mayer (1890) and has been recently reviewed ( Guerra-García 2002a, 2002b, 2003). Twelve species of this genus have been described so far: Deutella antonbruuni Guerra-García, 2002 , D. aspiducha Gable & Lazo- Wasem, 1987, D. californica Mayer, 1890 , D. caribensis Guerra-García, Krapp-Schickel & Müller, 2006 , D. incerta (Mayer, 1903) , D. indica Guerra-García, 2002 , D. margaritae Guerra-García, 2002 , D. mayeri Stebbing, 1895 , D. philippinensis Guerra-García, 2002, D. schieckei Cavedini, 1981 , D. vemae (McCain & Gray, 1971) and D. venenosa Mayer, 1890 . The diagnosis of the genus Deutella is (see also Guerra-García 2002a, b): flagellum of antenna 2 two-articulate, mandible molar present, palp 3-articulate; setal formula for distal article 1-x-1, 2-x- 1 or 1 seta, molar present, pereopod 3 and 4 with 1 or 2 articles, pereopods 5–7 with six articles, male abdomen with a pair of appendages and a pair of setose lobes. Consequently, the main differences among the diagnosis of Deutella and Cubadeutella are the presence of 4 articles in the flagellum of antenna 2 in Cubadeutella and 2 articles in Deutella , and the pereopods 3 and 4 four-articulate in Cubadeutella and 1 or 2-articulate in Deutella .

Cubadeutella cavernicola can be distinguished from all the species of Deutella mainly by the combination of the following characteristics: the number of articles in antenna 1 is significantly higher in Cubadeutella (20–22) than in Deutella (7–14); the flagellum of antenna 2 in Cubadeutella is 4-articulate while it is 2-articulate in Deutella ; grasping spines are absent in the propodus of gnathopod 1 in Cubadeutella ; pereopods 3 and 4 are 4-articulate in Cubadeutella and 1 or 2-articulate in Deutella .

Although the phylogeny and higher classification of the caprellids is still under debate (see Laubitz 1993; Takeuchi 1993), Myers and Lowry (2003) have recently proposed a new phylogeny and classification for the suborder Corophiidea Leach, 1814, which is divided into two infraorders, the Corophiida and the Caprellida, based on a hypothesis of the evolution of different feeding strategies. In their new classification, the superfamily Caprelloidea contains five families: Caprellidae , Caprogammaridae , Cyamidae , Dulichiidae and Podoceridae . The Caprellidae are subdivided into three subfamilies: Caprellinae , Paracercopinae and Phtisicinae . In the present paper we have adopted this classification and have considered the genus Cubadeutella within the subfamily Caprellinae . Cubadeutella , together with Triantella and Protellina are the only genera in the Caprellinae with the flagellum of antennae 2 more than 2-articulate. This plesiomorphic character is typically present in the subfamily Phtisicinae , but not in the Caprellinae . The presence of a higher number of articles also in antennae 1, the pereopods 3 and 4 four-articulate instead 1 or 2 articulate, together with a flagellum of antennae 2 more than 2-articulate indicate that the Cubadeutella is probably, together with Triantella , Protellina , Protoaeginella , Pseudaeginella and Parvipalpina , one of the most plesiomorphic genus of the Caprellinae line.

Although the species Cubadeutella cavernicola could superficially resemble species of Deutella or Triantella , it can be easily distinguished from them in having the pereopod 3 and 4 four-articulate. So far, the genus Cubadeutella is the only one within the Caprellidea in having simultaneously pereopod 3 and 4 with four articles. The closest situation is the genus Paraprotella Mayer, 1903 characterised by pereopods 3 and 4 three-articulate.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Location of the type locality for Cubadeutella cavernicola in Cuba.

FIGURE 2. Cubadeutella cavernicola n. sp. Lateral view of holotype male and paratype female. Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURE 3. Cubadeutella cavernicola n. sp. Mouthparts of holotype male. Scale bars: 0.1 mm. LL = Lower lip; UL = Upper lip; Mx 1,2 = Maxilla 1,2; LMd = Left mandible; RMd = Right mandible; Mxp = Maxilliped.

FIGURE 4. Cubadeutella cavernicola n. sp. Holotype male antennae, gnathopod 1 and 2. Paratype female antennae and gnathopod 2. A 13, Ƥ, A 23, Ƥ in scale x = 1 mm; Gn 13 in scale y = 0.25 mm; Gn 23, Ƥ in scale z = 0.5 mm. A 1,2 = Antenna 1,2; Gn 1,2 = Gnathopod 1, 2.

FIGURE 5. Cubadeutella cavernicola n. sp. Holotype male pereopods 3 – 7 and abdomen. Paratype female pereopods 3 – 5 and abdomen. P 33, Ƥ, P 43, Ƥ in scale x = 0.25 mm; P 53, Ƥ in scale y = 1 mm; P 6 – 73, Ƥ in scale z = 0.25 mm; Abd 3, Ƥ in scale z’ = 0.15 mm. P 3 – 7 = Pereopod 3 – 7; Ab = Abdomen.