Mallacoota capricornia Lowry & Hughes, 2009

HUGHES, L. E., 2011, New species of Hoho, Mallacoota and Parelasmopus (Maeridae: Amphipoda) from Australian waters, Zootaxa 2955 (1), pp. 1-79 : 42

Mallacoota capricornia Lowry & Hughes, 2009

Mallacoota insignis . — Myers, 1985: 117, figs 93, 94. — Ledoyer, 1984: 552, fig. 210 (in part).

Mallacoota capricornia Lowry & Hughes, 2009: 673–676 , figs. 17–18.

Type locality. Picnic Beach , Palfrey Island, Lizard Island, Queensland, Australia (14°41'41"S 145°26'53"E) .

Material examined. Cocos (Keeling) Islands: 16 specimens, AM P.81813, ‘ Rose Wall’ dive site, near Horsburgh Island (12°05'45"S 96°50'32"E), 11 m, rubble with calcareous green algae Halimeda sp. , 12 October 2008, coll. L.E. Hughes ( MI WA 830 ) ; 1 male, 2 juveniles, AM P.81815, Rumah Baru , West Island (12°09'23"S 96°49'42"E), 1 m, mooring rope scrapping, 8 October 2008, coll. J.K. Lowry and K.B. Attwood ( MI WA 792 ) ; 2 males, AM P.81814, off West Island Jetty (12°05'15"S 96°50'14"E), 1.5 m, rubble, 14 October 2008, coll. L.E. Hughes ( MI WA 843 ) ; 11 specimens, AM P.81816, off West Island Jetty (12°05'15"S 96°50'14"E), 0 m, floating brown algal wrack Turbinaria sp. , 14 October 2008, coll. L.E. Hughes ( MI WA 844 ) .

Western Australia: 4 males, 2 females, NTM Cr 16972, Bedout Island, north of Port Headland (19°35’S 119°05’E) ; 1 male, 2 females, AM P.79325, inshore limestone reef off Neds Camp, Cape Range National Park (21°59'S 113°59'E), 1.5 m, "crinkly" brown alga, 2 January 1984, coll. R. T. Springthorpe ( WA 379 ) .

Norfolk Island: 1 male, 11 females, NTM Cr 16973, Emily Bay, 18 April 1984 ( NTM 1671 ) ; 1 male, 1 female, AM P.81467, Emily Bay (29°03'36"S 167°57'12"E), 3.8 m, green algae Caulerpa racemosa , 20 May 2008, coll. L.E. Hughes, MV Jenny ( MI NFK 80 ) ; 1 male, AM P.81469, Slaughter Bay , Kingston (29°03'S 167°57'E), 4 m, sand, 12 May 2008, coll. R. T . Springthorpe , MV Jenny ( MI NFK 3 ) ; 13 specimens, AM P.81466, Slaughter Bay , Kingston (29°03'30"S 167°57’E), 4 m, mixed algae, 12 May 2008, coll. L.E. Hughes, MV Jenny ( MI NFK 4 ); 10+ specimens, AM P.81471, Swiss Cheese Reef (29°00'22"S 167°56'50"E), 15 m, large pieces of rubble with tufted algae from vertical surface, 19 May 2008, coll. J.K. Lowry, MV Jenny ( MI NFK 77 ) ; 7 specimens, AM P.81468, near Anson Point , Gun Club Reef (29°00'25"S 167°54'45"E), 10 m, algae over coral, airlift on scuba, 17 May 2008, coll. R. T . Springthorpe , MV Jenny ( MI NFK 64 ) ; 13 specimens, AM P.81473, Fig Valley Reef (29°03'20"S 167°55'44"E), 18.7 m, red coralline algae Amphiora anceps and other mixed red algae, 19 May 2008, coll. L.E. Hughes, MV Jenny ( MI NFK 71 ) ; 12 specimens, AM P.81474, Nepean Island , ' The Wall' dive site, Nepean Island (29°04'18"S 167°57'41"E), 10 m, green calcareous algae Halimeda sp. and other small green algae, 15 May 2008, coll. J.K. Lowry, MV Jenny ( MI NFK 42 ) ; 10 specimens, AM P.81465, ' The Wall' dive site, Nepean Island (29°04'18"S 167°57'41"E), 10 m, tufted red and brown algae, 15 May 2008, coll. J.K. Lowry, MV Jenny ( MI NFK 43 ) ; 8 specimens, AM P.81464, east of Sail Rock , Phillip Island (29°06'55"S 167°57'31"E), 13 m, under stones, airlift on scuba, 14 May 2008, coll. R. T . Springthorpe , MV Jenny ( MI NFK 22 ) .

Remarks. These new records of M. capricornia from Norfolk Island, Western Australia and Christmas Island extend its geographic range to the Tasman Sea and the east Indian Ocean. Material examined here is consistent in the presence of the small post palmar tooth on the male gnathopod 2 propodus and the degree of broadening in the pereopods 5–7 merus and carpus. These species level characters distinguish M. capricornia from its sister taxon M. insignis .

Distribution. Australia. Tasman Sea: Norfolk Island; Nepean Island; Philip Island (current study).Queensland: Lizard Island; One Tree Island ( Lowry & Hughes 2009). Western Australia: Cape Range; Bedout Island (current study). Indian Ocean. Cocos (Keeling) Islands; Christmas Island (current study). Fiji ( Myers 1985). New Caledonia ( Ledoyer 1984).