Jigurru vailhoggett, Guerra-García, 2006

Guerra-García, J. M., 2006, Caprellidae (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from the Great Barrier Reef and Adjacent Localities, Records of the Australian Museum 58, pp. 417-458 : 426-428

Jigurru vailhoggett n.sp.

Figs 13–17

Type material. HOLOTYPE 3, AM P61744, Coconut Beach , Lizard Island, Queensland, Australia, 14°40'S 145°28'E, dead thick branching hard coral encrusted with calcareous red algae and filamentous algal turf, 8 m, QLD 1475, J.M. Guerra-García & S.J. Keable, 8 Oct 2001 . PARATYPES: 233, 1♀, AM P61745, type locality .

Etymology. The specific name is derived from “Vail” and “Hoggett” to dedicate the species to Lyle Vail and Anne Hoggett, directors of the Lizard Island Research Station for their help and kindness during the field study at Lizard Island; used as a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. As for the genus.

Description

Holotype male. Body length. 3.1 mm. Lateral view ( Fig. 13B). Body smooth without projections; head rounded; suture between head and pereonite 1 absent; pereonites 2– 5 increasing in size respectively; pereonite 7 the shortest. Gills ( Fig. 13B). Present on pereonites 2–4, oval, length about 2 times width. Mouthparts. Upper lip ( Fig. 14B) symmetrically bilobed, lobes poorly demarcated, smooth apically. Mandibles ( Fig. 15A,B) without molar; left mandible ( Fig. 15B) with incisor 5-toothed, lacinia mobilis 5-toothed followed by a row of plates decreasing in size; right mandible ( Fig. 15A) with incisor 5-toothed, lacinia mobilis with 2 teeth and serrate, followed by row of plates; palp 3-articulate, second article with two setae, distal article with three setae (formula 1-x-1, being x=1). Lower lip ( Fig. 14C) with inner lobes well demarcated; outer lobes with some fine and short apical setae. Maxilla 1 ( Fig. 14D) outer lobe with six robust and stout setae; distal article of palp with three setae and three teeth distally and row of three lateral setae. Maxilla 2 ( Fig. 14E) inner lobe triangular with five setae; outer lobe rectangular with five setae. Maxilliped ( Fig. 14A) inner plates almost fused, with a serrate margin and three apically serrate nodular setae; outer plate with seven simple setae and serration; palp four-articulate, article 2 laterally expanded, with six setae; article 3 with large rectangular projection emerging from the base, with two setae laterally, serrate distally. Antennae. Antenna 1 ( Fig. 16A) about 1 ⁄ 3 of the body length; flagellum 3-articulate. Antenna 2 ( Fig. 16B) a little shorter than the half of the antenna 1, sparsely setose; swimming setae absent; flagellum 2-articulate. Gnathopods. Gnathopod 1 ( Fig. 16C) basis as long as ischium, merus and carpus combined; ischium rectangular; merus rounded; propodus triangular, length about 1.5 times width, palm with three proximal grasping spines, grasping margin minutely denticulate on anterior half; dactylus elongate and curved, provided with long seta dorsally, and a row of short setae ventrally. Gnathopod 2 ( Fig. 16D) inserted on the anterior part of pereonite 2; basis about 1.2 times as long as pereonite 2; ischium rectangular; merus rounded; carpus triangular; propodus oval, length about 2 times width, palm with three proximal grasping spines; dactylus curved, with row of short setae. Pereopods. Pereopods 3 and 4 absent ( Fig. 13B). Pereopod 5 3-articulate ( Fig. 17A), but basal article almost divided into two articles. Pereopods 6 ( Fig. 17B) and 7 ( Fig. 17C), six-articulate, ischium with one seta, merus with two spines, carpus with five (pereopod 6) or seven (pereopod 7) spines along the palm, carpus with six (pereopod 6) or nine (pereopod 7) spines, dactylus smooth. Penes ( Fig. 17D,E) large, triangular, as long as wide, small suture present apically. Abdomen ( Fig. 17D,E) with two pair of appendages and a large, prismatic dorsal lobe; first pair of appendages 2-articulate; second pair uniarticulate.

Paratype female. Body length 2.2 mm. Oostegites ( Fig. 13A) scarcely setose. Gnathopod 2 ( Fig. 16E) similar to male, but with dactylus slightly more elongate.

Remarks. The maxilliped of Jigurru vailhoggett n.sp. is close to the maxilliped of Prellicana minima Mayer, 1903 on the basis of the inner plates, being partially fused. However, the lateral expansion on article 2 and the welldeveloped projection on article 3 are present, so far, only in Jigurru vailhoggett n.sp in the subfamily Phtisicinae .

Distribution. Lizard Island, Queensland.