Natatolana wowine Bruce, 1986

Keable, Stephen J., 2006, Taxonomic Revision of Natatolana (Crustacea: Isopoda: Cirolanidae), Records of the Australian Museum 58 (2), pp. 133-244 : 236-237

Natatolana wowine Bruce, 1986

Natatolana wowine Bruce, 1986: 118 , figs. 81, 82.– Hutchings et al., 1993: 13.–Springthorpe & Lowry, 1994: 65.– Brusca et al., 1995: 82.– Bruce et al., 2002: 154.

Cirolana woodjonesi .– Hale, 1924: 71–72 (part).–1925: 137 (part) [mis-identification, not Natatolana woodjonesi ( Hale, 1924) ].

Type material. Holotype: 3, NMV J1723 (not examined) . Paratypes: NMV J1724–1731 (not examined); AM P9592, P9594, P32366–32370 (examined) ; WAM 18–80 (examined). Type locality: Crib Point , Western Port, Victoria, Australia, 8°23'S 145°14'E .

Material examined. Queensland: series from due east of Mooloolaba , 26°35.42'S 153°41.50'E, 206 m, 2–4 Aug. 1994: ♀, AM P47606, SEAS QLD-1128; 2♀♀, AM P47607, SEAS QLD-1148 . New South Wales: series from northeast and north of Coffs Harbour , 11–13 Aug. 1993; 3, AM P47608, 30°15.86'S 153°21.90'E, 92.7 m, SEAS NSW-870; 3, AM P47609, 30°14.63'S 153°27.68'E, 199 m, SEAS NSW-883; ♀, AM P47610, 30°14.84'S 153°27.69'E, 182.9 m, SEAS NSW-867; series from off Wollongong: 35, AM P47611, 34°32.02'S 151°13.00'E, 200 m, 6–7 May 1993, SEAS NSW-780; 52, AM P47612, 34°32.53'S 151°17.07'E, 400 m, 6–7 May 1993, SEAS NSW-787 . Victoria: 95, AM P47613, southeast of Bastion Point, Mallacoota , 37°36.6'S 149°48.3'E, baited trap,?bottom, 30 m, J. Lowry & S. Keable, 29–30 Nov. 1988, NSW-398 . Tasmania: many, AM P 47614, 100 m off south side Esperance Point, Port Esperance, 43°19.8'S 147°3.8'E, baited trap,?bottom, 24 m, J. Lowry & S. Keable, 19–20 April 1991, TAS-205; 12, AM P47615, mouth of Fortescue Bay , 43°07.77'S 145°59.47'E, 50 m, 17–18 April 1993, SEAS TAS-368 . South Australia: 3 paralectotypes of Natatolana woodjonesi, SAMA C 230, Beachport; 21 paralectotypes of Natatolana woodjonesi, SAMA C 231, Elliston, Eyre Peninsula; series from Upper Spencer Gulf : SAMA C5617– 5639 , 32 °– 33°5'S 137°37.38–57.4'E, 7–22 m , South Australia Fisheries Department Survey , Feb. 1987 .

Diagnosis. Interocular furrow: moderately developed, distinct but not extending across the cephalon. Frontal lamina: lateral margins medially constricted. Antenna: c. 0.39× as long as body, reaching to posterior of pereonite 3. Coxal plates: furrows moderately developed, on all coxae. Pleonite 4: apex broadly rounded. Pleotelson: broad, length 0.77–0.92× basal width; anterodorsal depression absent; anterolateral margins almost straight and angling posteriorly toward the midline, or convex; posterolateral margins convex or broadly rounded; apex not produced, lateral margins converging smoothly to a point; with 6–8 RS. Pereopods 2–3: propodus without RS on palm. Pereopod 7: basis broad, width 0.64× length; distance between anterior margin and medial carina greater than between posterior margin and medial carina; posterior margin with setae on proximal two-thirds. Penes: absent. Pleopod 2 appendix masculina: extending beyond tip of endopod; margins very slightly curved laterally; slender; apex recurved, bent slightly medially, acute. Uropods: exopod slightly shorter than endopod, 0.87× the length of the endopod; lateral margin with or without RS.

Variation. Bruce (1986) recorded a variation in the “roundness of the pleotelson,” i.e., the posterolateral margins of the pleotelson may be convex converging smoothly to a point or broadly rounded. Bruce (1986) also recorded variation in the number of robust setae on the margins of the pleotelson, from seven or eight in material from Victoria, to six in specimens from Tasmania and Western Australia. In the material examined here in samples from New South Wales (Coffs Harbour:AM P47608,AM P47609; Wollongong: AM P47611,AM P47612) and eastern Tasmania (AM P47614, AM P47615), specimens had both six and eight robust setae on the pleotelson margins. The most common number of robust setae on the pleotelson margins was six, in all samples, except for AM P47615 (eastern Tasmania) where 10 specimens had eight and only two had six. Variation was also found in the number of robust setae on the lateral margins of the uropod exopod, ranging from none to five but most commonly five. All of the material from the South Australia Fisheries Department Upper Spencer Gulf Survey lack robust setae on the uropod exopod lateral margin, as do specimens from eastern Victoria (AM P47613). Most of the specimens in AM P47614 (eastern Tasmania) also lack these setae although they are present on five specimens from this sample. Examination of the paratypes in AM P9592 (17 specimens, not two as recorded by Springthorpe & Lowry [1994]) and P9594 (18 specimens) (material recorded by Hale (1925) as “ Tasmania: off Cape Portland” and “ New South Wales: ‘From porpoise’”, respectively) shows that they also lack robust setae on the uropod exopod lateral margin.

Sexual dimorphism. Females tend to be larger than males and ovigerous females may be slightly broader.

Size. Adults to 35 mm ( Bruce (1986) records largest male 19.0 mm, largest female 17.6 mm), largest manca to c. 8 mm.

Remarks. Examination of the paralectotypes of Natatolana woodjonesi show that they include specimens of N. wowine . The falcate apex of the appendix masculina of specimens of N. wowine is distinctive. This combined with details of the frontal lamina, length of the antennae, pleonite 4, pleotelson and uropods are the most useful features in separating this species from similar species.

Distribution and ecology. Australia:southern Queensland; New South Wales; Tasmania; Mallacoota, Western Port, Port Phillip Bay, in Victoria; Upper Spencer Gulf, Beachport, Elliston, Eyre Peninsula, in South Australia; Recherche Archipelago, in Western Australia. At depths of 6– 400 m. Scavenger.