Globosolembos springthorpei, Myers, 2009

Myers, Alan A., 2009, Aoridae *, Zootaxa 2260 (1), pp. 220-278 : 265-268

Globosolembos springthorpei sp. nov.

( Figs 35 , 36 , Pl. 2B)

Type material. Holotype, male, 4.0 mm, AM P 75467, 500 m north-east of North Point, Lizard Island (14°38.700’S 145°27.213’E), Halimeda sp. (green alga) with epiphytes, soft bottom with forams, crinoids, Halimeda macroloba , Halimeda cylindracea , Caulerpa taxifolia , Gracilaria sp. , Lobophora sp ) and sediment, 23.9 m, R. T. Springthorpe, 27 February 2005 (QLD 1707). Paratypes: 7 males, 3 females, same data as holotype, AM P75468 (QLD 1707).

Additional material examined. 1 male, 1 female, AM P71009 (QLD 1707) .

Type Locality. Off North Point , Lizard Island, Queensland, Australia (14°40'S 145°28'E) .

Etymology. Named for Roger Springthorpe, who collected all the material of this new species.

Description. Based on holotype, male, 4.0 mm, AM P75467.

Head. Head lateral cephalic lobes apically rounded; eye large, orange brown. Antenna 1 flagellum with about 16 articles; accessory flagellum multiarticulate. Antenna 2 with moderately profuse long setae. Lower lip with fine setae and stout setae. Maxilla 1 inner plate with 1 long pectinate apical seta. Mandible, palp article 3 1.5 x length of article 2, posterior margin weakly falcate, posterior margin with setae of more than two distinct lengths.

Pereon. Pereonites without sternal spines. Gnathopod 1 enlarged in both sexes; coxa weakly produced anterodistally, rounded; basis robust, half or more as broad as long, anterodistal margin with strong flange; ischium anterior margin without flange, posterior margin with few setae; merus not greatly elongated, fused along its entire length with carpus, posterior margin with few setae, without posterodistal spine; carpus one quarter length of propodus, anterior margin without spine; posterior margin with obtuse spine; propodus anterior margin moderately setiferous, posterior margin convex, palm short, straight, delimited from posterior margin, margin forming a broad excavate sinus, defined by strong posterodistal marginal spine, without robust seta, without spine near base of dactylus; dactylus less than half length of propodus, overlapping palm. Gnathopod 2 subchelate; basis anterodistal margin with flange, posterodistal margin without robust setae, with few setae along length of basis; merus not enlarged or produced away from carpus; carpus distinctly longer than propodus, anterior margin not lobate, with long setae; carpus and propodus anterior margin with sparse long setae, palm with robust seta defining palm. Pereopod 3 without brush of long setae on merus. Pereopod 6 basis not produced posterodistally. Pereopod 7 less than 125% length of pereopod 6.

Pleon. Epimeron 3 posterodistal margin rounded. Uropod 1 rami subequal, peduncle much longer than broad, distoventral spine much less than one third length of peduncle. Uropod 2 biramous; peduncle with distoventral spine much less than half length of peduncle. Uropod 3 biramous, rami distinctly unequal, endopod about 1.5 x length of peduncle. Telson with distal fine setae only.

Female (sexually dimorphic characters). Based on paratype, female, 3.5 mm, AM P75468. Gnathopod 1 carpus more than one third length of propodus; propodus palm oblique, convex, delimited by acute, triangular spine, dactylus shorter and stouter than that of male .

Habitat. Halimeda with epiphytes.

Remarks. This species is very close to G. forgesi Myers, 1998 from New Caledonia, but differs in a number of ways. In the male gnathopod 1, the carpus is much shorter (about one quarter the length of the propodus), than it is in G. forgesi (more than a third length of propodus) and is strongly produced posterodistally (scarcely produced in G.forgesi ); the spine on the posterior margin of the propodus is marginal in G. springthorpei sp. nov. but submarginal in G. forgesi . In the male gnathopod 2, the carpus of G. springthorpei is distinctly longer than the propodus whereas these two articles are subequal in G. forgesi . In the female gnathopod 1 the spine on the posterior margin of the propodus is acute in G. springthorpei but obtuse in G. forgesi . The uropod 1 distoventral spine of G. springthorpei scarcely reaches one quarter the length of the peduncle whereas in G. forgesi it approaches one half the length of the peduncle. Finally, article 3 of the mandibular palp is 1.5 x the length of article 2 in G. springthorpei whereas in G. forgesi articles 2 and 3 are subequal.

Distribution. Australia. Queensland: off North Point, Lizard Island (current study).

Figures

FIGURE 35. Globosolembos springthorpei sp. nov., holotype, male, 4.0 mm, AM P75467, east of North Point, Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef.

FIGURE 36. Globosolembos springthorpei sp. nov., holotype, male, 4.0 mm, AM P75467, female, 3.5 mm, AM P75468, east of North Point, Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef.