Grandidierella Coutière, 1904

Myers, Alan A., 2009, Aoridae *, Zootaxa 2260 (1), pp. 220-278 : 271-274

Grandidierella Coutière, 1904

Grandidierella bonnieroides Stephensen, 1948

( Figs 39 , 40 , Pl. 2C)

Grandidierella bonnieroides Stephensen, 1948: 12 , fig. 3. — Myers, 1970: 141. — Myers, 1981 b: 218. — Asari & Myers,

1982: 252, figs 9–10. — Lowry & Stoddart, 2003: 70 (catalogue). Grandidierella megnae . — Chilton, 1921: 548, fig. 10. — Stephensen, 1933: 434. — Shoemaker, 1935: 70. Unciolella lunata . — Schellenberg, 1928: 669, fig. 207. Grandidierella bonnieri . —K.H. Barnard, 1935: 299. —K.H. Barnard, 1951: 708. —K.H. Barnard, 1952: 279, fig. 1. —

Pannikar & Aiyar, 1937: 294. — Schellenberg, 1938 a: 215. — Shoemaker, 1948: 11, fig. 3. — Ruffo, 1958: 58, figs 8,

9. — Nayar, 1959: 38, pl. 14, figs 1–5. — Nayar, 1966: 161, fig. 17f.

Material examined. 1 male, 1 female AM P70766 (QLD 1655) ; 8 males, 3 females AM P70777 (QLD 1655); 200+ males, females AM P70805 (QLD 1655) ; 2 males, 2 females AM P70807 (QLD 1656) ; 1 juvenile AM P70902 (QLD 1676) 3 juveniles AM P70927 (QLD 1677) ; 1 female AM P70895 (QLD 1678) ; 2 males, 8 females, 3 juveniles AM P70852 (QLD 1679) ; 16 males, 13 females, 2 juveniles AM P70897 (QLD 1680) .

Type locality. Salinja, Paloe Lechi, Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, Caribbean Sea (~ 12°10'0''N 68°17'0''W) .

Description. Based on male, 5.0 mm, AM P70805.

Head. Head lateral cephalic lobes apically truncate. Antenna 1 flagellum with about 19 articles; accessory flagellum with one long and one distal rudimentary article. Antenna 2 with few long setae. Lower lip with fine setae only. Maxilla 1 inner plate without setae. Mandible, palp article 3 subequal to 2, posterior margin substraight, setae distal.

Pereon. Pereonites 1–3 with apically acute sternal spines. Gnathopod 1 enlarged in males only; coxa unproduced anterodistally. Gnathopod 1 coxa ventral margin without small spine, basis robust, half or more as broad as long, without a spine, anterior margin without stridulating ridges, posterodistal margin with setae sparse, anterodistal margin with flange weak; ischium anterior margin without flange, posterior margin with setae sparse; merus not greatly elongated, fused along its entire length with carpus, posterior margin with sparse setae, without posterodistal spine; carpus twice length of propodus, anterior margin without stridulating ridges, with setae sparse, anterior margin with no spine, without an oblique row of long setae on inner face, posterior margin with submarginal spine, strong posterodistal spine, and smaller obtuse distal spine; propodus, anterior margin weakly setiferous, posterior margin straight or evenly convex, palm absent; dactylus more than half length of propodus. Gnathopod 2 subchelate; basis anterodistal margin without flange, posterodistal margin without robust setae, with few setae along length of basis; merus not enlarged or produced away from carpus; carpus longer than propodus, anterior margin not lobate, with a few spaced setae; propodus with few setae, palm with pair of robust setae defining palm. Pereopod 3 without brush of long setae on merus. Pereopod 6 basis not or weakly produced posterodistally. Pereopod 7 significantly less than 125% length of pereopod 6.

Pleon. Epimeron 3 posterodistal margin rounded. Uropod 1 rami subequal, peduncle much longer than broad, distoventral spine one fifth length of peduncle. Uropod 2 biramous; peduncle without distoventral spine. Uropod 3 uniramous, ramus at least twice length of peduncle. Telson with distal fine setae only.

Female (sexually dimorphic characters). Based on female 5.0 mm AM P70805. Sternal spines absent. Gnathopod 1 basis slender, much less than half as broad as long; carpus a little longer than propodus; propodus palm present, evenly continuous with posterior margin, posterior margin with three robust setae; dactylus significantly overlapping palm.

Habitat. Associated with mangrove litter.

Remarks. This ‘species’ is recorded worldwide. It seems likely that it is actually a species complex, but it is not possible to determine this without further detailed study of world material. In the Great Barrier Reef, it can be distinguished from the only other recorded species, G. rhizophorae , by the presence of a submarginal spine on the posterior margin of the carpus of the male gnathopod 1.

Distribution. Australia. Queensland. Lizard Island ( Myers 1981 and current study). Caribbean ( Stephensen 1948; Myers, 1970). Africa ( Griffiths 1974), Madagascar ( Ledoyer 1983). India ( Asari & Myers 1982).

Figures

FIGURE 39. Grandidierella bonnieroides Stephensen, 1948, male, 5.0 mm, AM P70805, Ferriers Creek, Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef.

FIGURE 40. Grandidierella bonnieroides Stephensen, 1948, male, 5.0 mm, female, 5.0 mm AM P70805, Ferriers Creek, Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef.