Vibilia affinis Bate

Zeidler, Wolfgang, 2003, A review of the hyperiidean amphipod superfamily Vibilioidea Bowman and Gruner, 1973 (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Hyperiidea), Zootaxa 280 (1), pp. 1-104 : 75-76

Vibilia affinis Bate

Vibilia affinis Bate 1862: 302–303 , pl. 49, fig. 8. – Bovallius 1887c: 50, text fig. Behning 1913b: 214. Irie 1959: table 4. Vinogradov et al. 1982: 235–236, fig. 117.

Type material

Type material could not be located at the BMNH or MNHN and is presumed lost. The type locality is given as “ Java ”.

Remarks The figures and description given by Bate are insufficient to determine this species. No known species of Vibilia have the first antennae as long as those illustrated for this species. Dried specimens sometimes have the edges of the antennae curled inward thus, giving them a more elongate appearance, and perhaps the specimen Bate saw had become dry at some stage thus, giving the appearance of having elongate antennae.

Vinogradov et al. (1982) include this species with those in which the lateral corners of the last urosomite are produced, as short third uropods are characteristic of this group. This is based on the statement by Bate, “ultimate pair of pleopoda not reaching beyond the two preceding pairs”, presumably an error actually referring to the uropoda. However, all species of Vibilia have uropod 3 extending beyond uropod 1 or 2. Bate’s observation is most likely erroneous because he probably observed the specimen in a curled state, possibly because it was dry, and could not be straightened. Never­the­less it would seem that the third uropoda are relatively short.