Leucothoe

Myers, A. A., 2014, Amphipoda (Crustacea) from the Chagos Archipelago, Zootaxa 3754 (1), pp. 1-31 : 17

Leucothoe ? gracilis Haswell

( Fig. 12 )

Leucothoe gracilis Haswell, 1879: 263 , 264, pl. 10, fig. 2. — Haswell, 1882: 259. — Stebbing, 1906: 168. — Stebbing, 1910: 636. — White, 2011: 54.

Leucothoella gracilis Barnard, 1974: 99 –102, figs 60, 61. — Moore, 1987: 258. — Lowry & Stoddart, 2003: 156. — White & Thomas, 2009: 544 , figs 31, 32.

Material examined. 1 unsexed, Diego Garcia, outer reef, dead branching coral heads, 10 m. C. Head and H. Koldewey, 16.02.2012 ( OUMNH.ZC.2013.06.046); 1 male, Peros Banhos, outer reef, dead branching coral heads, 10 m. C. Head and H. Koldewey, 24.02.2012 ( OUMNH.ZC.2013.06.047); 1 male, Diego Garcia, outer reef, dead branching coral heads, 10 m. C. Head and H. Koldewey, 17.02.2012 ( OUMNH.ZC.2013.06.048); 1 male 1 female, Great Chagos Bank, Brothers Island, outer reef, dead branching coral heads, 10 m. C. Head and H. Koldewey, 27.02.2012 ( OUMNH.ZC.2013.06.049); 1 unsexed, Diego Garcia, outer reef, dead branching coral heads, 10 m. C. Head and H. Koldewey, 0 3.03.2012 ( OUMNH.ZC.2013.06.050); 1 unsexed, Diego Garcia, outer reef, dead branching coral heads, 10 m. C. Head and H. Koldewey, 0 4.03.2012 ( OUMNH.ZC.2013.06.051).

Remarks. Present material is difficult to allocate since it shows a mixture of characters of L. bannwarthi Schellenberg, 1928 and L. gracilis . The gnathopod 2 has the posterior margin bare and the carpus tapered while the telson is less than 1.8 × its width. All these are features of L. bannwarthi . On the other hand, the dactylus of gnathopod 2 reaches over half the length of the propodus, coxa 4 is serrate on anterior and distal margins and telson is distally tridentate, all features of L. gracilis . For the present, due to the serrate coxa 4, this material is allocated to L. gracilis . This would be the first record of L. gracilis from the Indian Ocean.

Habitat. Dead coral heads in shallow water.

Distribution. Australia, Chagos.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Leucothoe? gracilis Haswell, unsexed, 2.7 mm, Peros Banhos.