Liljeborgia joergpeteri, Coleman, 2009

Coleman, Charles Oliver, 2009, Liljeborgiidae *, Zootaxa 2260 (1), pp. 556-560 : 557-560

Liljeborgia joergpeteri sp. nov.

( Figs 1 , 2 )

Type material. Holotype, presumably male, 5.2 mm, AM P 70600, 300 m off south-east corner of Palfrey Island , Lizard Island (14°41.71’S 145°27.06’E), coral rubble, rubble patches between coral bommies, washings, 3.7 m, R. T. Springthorpe, J.K. Lowry, C.O. Coleman, 23 February 2005 ( QLD 1622 ) . Paratype: unknown sex ‘b’, 5.6 mm, AM P78865, from the same location .

Additional material examined. 6 unsexed, AM P78866 ( JDT / LIZ 3 ); 2 unsexed, AM P78867 ( JDT / LIZ 5 ); 4 unsexed, AM P78868 ( JDT / OPH 1 ); 1 specimen ‘c’, presumably male, AM P70857 ( QLD 1689 ); 4 unsexed, AM P78869 ( SEL /LZI-1-3); 1 unsexed, AM P78870 ( SEL /LZI-2-6); 1 unsexed, AM P78871 ( SEL / LZI-4-1) .

Type locality. Palfrey Island , Lizard Island, Queensland, Australia (14°41.71’S 145°27.06’E) .

Etymology. The species is named for Jörg Peter Berendsen, the author’s best friend.

Description. Based on presumably male, holotype, 5.2 mm, and paratype (specimen ‘b’) from the type locality, 5.6 mm (mandible palp and epimeral posteroventral corners illustrated).

Head. Head lateral cephalic lobe apically subacute. Eyes large and rounded. Mandibular palp article 3 shorter than article 2.

Pereon. Gnathopod 1 coxa produced, rounded, truncate; basis posterior margin setose;, dactylus inner margin with 3–4 teeth, apically acute. Gnathopod 2 basis posterior margin with rows of thick setae; propodus palm convex with a submarginal notch; dactylus inner margin with 4–12 teeth, apically acute. Pereopod 3–4 propodus with row of small robust setae, with distal seta similar to proximal setae. Pereopod 5 basis posterior margin serrate. Pereopod 5–6 basis subovoid; dactylus apically attenuated, dactylus elongate. Pereopod 7 basis subovoid; propodus with long fine setae; dactylus elongate.

Pleon. Pleonite/urosomite dorsal serration formula 3–3–0–0–0 (the drawn specimen with only 2 small spines on pleonite 2, other specimens with 3 spines). Epimeron 1–2 with posteroventral tooth. Epimeron 3 with single posteroventral tooth, anterodistal corner with notch. Uropod 1 inner ramus with 6–7 robust setae; outer ramus with 2–3 robust setae. Uropod 2 inner ramus with 6 or more robust setae; outer ramus with 3–4 robust setae. Uropod 3 rami longer than peduncle; inner ramus with 4–6 robust setae; outer ramus with 3–4 robust setae. Telson deeply cleft, lobes with apical margins unequal, outer dominant, with a single pair of robust apical setae.

Variations. Specimen c has poorly developed dorsal teeth, visible only under the compound microscope.

Habitat. Found in coral rubble, 0.3–3.7 m.

Remarks. So far there are three Liljeborgia species recorded from Australia: L. dubia ( Haswell, 1879) , L. aequabilis ( Stebbing, 1888) and L. polonius Hughes & Lowry, 2006 .

Very distinctive is L. dubia in the high number of pleonite/urosomite dorsal spines (formula 5–5–1–1–1), with variations in number of these spines on pleonites 1–2 and urosomites 1–2 (see J.L. Barnard 1962) and the conspicuously serrate pereopod 5–6 basis.

Both other Australian species have the pleonite/urosomite dorsal serration formula of 3–3–0–1–1 and differ in this respect from L. joergpeteri sp. nov. which is lacking any dorsal teeth on the urosomites. However, the new species resembles L. bousfieldi McKinney, 1979 (not L. bousfieldi of Ledoyer 1986, which seems to be a totally different species) in the dorsal serration formula (3–3–0–0–0) and the shape of gnathopod 2. It differs from L. bousfieldi in the entire upper lip (vs incised), large rounded eyes (vs small sized reniform eye) and 2–3 distal marginal robust setae on the propodus of pereopods 3 and 4 (vs 4 robust setae), the asymmetrically notched telson apices (vs symmetrical condition) and the notched posteroventral corner of epimeron 3 (vs unnotched).

Liljeborgia heeia J.L. Barnard, 1970 , especially the material described from Madagascar by Ledoyer (1972, 1986), which differs in several aspects from Barnard´s description, is rather close to the new species: the shape of the propodus of gnathopod 2 is very similar, there is also a submarginal notch in the distal part of the palm (see Ledoyer 1972, plate 62), the eyes are large and rounded, there are 2–3 distal stout setae on the propodus of pereopods 3 and 4 and a notch in the posteroventral corner of epimeral plate 3. However, in the new species, the anteromarginal head lobe is subacute (vs. rounded to truncate), the length of the propodus of gnathopod 1 is 2 x the width (vs. 1.5), the telson lobes are asymmetrically notched with the outer margin dominant (vs. symmetrical condition) and the dactylus of gnathopod 2 is not so strongly curved and less narrowly pointed, compared to Ledoyer´s descriptions of L. heeia .

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

Figures

FIGURE 1. Liljeborgia joergpeteri sp. nov., holotype, presumably male, 5.2 mm, AM P70600, Palfrey Island, Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef.

FIGURE 2. Liljeborgia joergpeteri sp. nov., holotype, presumably male, 5.2 mm, AM P70600, paratype, unknown sex ‘b’, 5.6 mm, AM P78865, Palfrey Island, Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef. Asterisks = illustrated from specimen b.