Apseudopsis acutifrons ( Sars, 1882 )

Bamber, Roger N, Bird, Graham, Błażewicz-Paszkowycz, Magdalena & Galil, Bella, 2009, Tanaidaceans (Crustacea: Malacostraca: Peracarida) from soft-sediment habitats off Israel, Eastern Mediterranean, Zootaxa 2109, pp. 1-44 : 6-7

Apseudopsis acutifrons ( Sars, 1882)

Apseudes acutifrons Sars, 1886 , 295–299, Pl. 6.

Material examined. 1 specimen (NHM.2008.4633), station RFI 7, 31º48.809’N 034º28.892’E, 62 m depth; fine mud, 14 September, 2006.

Remarks. A species variously recorded (with confused synonymy— vide Sieg, 1983) from the Mediterranean and Black Sea, out to the Atlantic coast of North Africa, at depths from 11 to 300 m. The rostrum has distinct rounded shoulders, and ends in an acute point; the pereonites bear both anterolateral and posterolateral spinose apophyses.

Apseudopsis apocryphus (Gu ţ u, 2002)

A. apocryphus Guţu, 2002 , 31–33, fig. 7.

Material examined. 2 specimens ( TAU AR 28412), station RFI 1, 31º53.640’N 034º33.069’E, 57 m depth; 1 specimen ( TAU AR 28413), station RFI 2, 31º53.328’N 034º32.853’E, 58 m depth; 1 specimen (NHM.2008.4634), station RFI 3, 31º53.842’N 034º33.300’E, 57 m depth; 1 specimen (NHM.2008.4635), station RFI 4, 31º54.193’N 034º33.241’E, 59 m depth; 1 specimen (NHM.2008.4636), station RFI 7, 31º48.809’N 034º28.892’E, 62 m depth; all fine mud, 14 September, 2006.

Remarks. The type material of this species was collected from the “Coast of Israel, Haifa, 1973”, but the depth is unknown ( Guţu, 2002). The present material is the second time it has been recorded, and is all from deeper water (57 to 62 m) than the similar and more abundant A. mediterraneus (see below), from which it is distinguished principally in having one less spine on the ventral margin of the propodus of pereopod 1. Although a number of species were distinguished in the “ A. latreilli -group” by Guţu (2002), including many purporting to be from Israeli waters, this is the only one of his which was found in the current surveys.

Apseudopsis mediterraneus (B ă cescu, 1961)

Apseudes latreilli mediterraneus, Bäcescu 1961 , 160–162, figs 46, 58–64, Pl. I fig. 1.

Material examined. 362 specimens (NHM.2008.4642–4651), 463 specimens ( TAU AR 28443), NMI stn H28.3, 31 0 41.497’N 34 0 33.030’E, 14.7 m, 15 August 2006; 89 specimens ( TAU AR 28446), ORI 1, 32°27.904’N 034°52.190’E, 15.8 m depth, 26 May 2005; 60 specimens (NHM.2008.4666–4675), ORI 2, 32°28.472’N 034°52.316’E, 15.8 m depth, 26 May 2005; 83 specimens ( TAU AR 28447), ORI 3, 32°27.362’N 034°52.028’E, 16.2 m depth, 26 May 2005; all clean sand. 1 specimen, MI 1, 31°51.199’N 034°39.496’E, 5.2 m depth, 19 September 2006; 2 specimens, MI 5, 31°51.237’N 034°39.301’E, 10 m depth, 17 September 2006. 37 specimens (NHM.2008.4656–4665), MI 5, 0 2 May 2007. 18 specimens (NHM.2008.4676–4685), Station AGAN 6, 31º51.342’N 034º39.050’E, 11.8 m depth; 8 specimens (NHM.2008.4686–4693), Station AGAN 7, 31º51.446’N 034º39.453’E, 7.4 m depth; 53 specimens ( TAU AR 28448), Station AGAN 11, 31º51.014’N 034º38.992’E, 10.1 m depth; all 0 2 May 2007. 3 specimens, MI 5, 21 October 2007. 4 specimens, HMA DA3, 31°50.812’N 034°39.161’E, 6.4 m depth; 22 specimens ( TAU AR 28444), HMA DA9, 31° 51.630’N 034° 38.558’E, 21 m depth; 7 specimens ( TAU AR 28445), HMA DA18, 31° 52.059’N 034° 38.151’E, 28.1 m depth; 4 specimens (NHM.2008.4652–4655), HMA DA19, 31° 52.447’N 034° 38.468’E, 27.2 m depth; 5 specimens, HMA DA22, 31° 51.612’N 034° 39.187’E, 12 m depth; 1 specimen, HMA DA23, 31° 51.309’N 034° 39.303’E, 8.7 m depth; 5 specimens, HMA DA34, 31° 52.367’N 034° 38.573’E, 25.5 m depth; 20 specimens, HMA DA61, 31° 51.103’N 034° 38.826’E, 13 m depth; 79 specimens, HMA DA63, 31° 51.797’N 034° 39.068’E, 14 m depth; 1 specimen, HMA DA64, 31° 52.648’N 034° 38.509’E, 27.9 m depth; all 20 October 2007, coarse sand.

2548 specimens, NMI stations (see Appendix 2A). 1806 specimens, AGAN stations (see Appendix 2B).

Remarks. This species was originally described by Băcescu (1961), as a subspecies of A. latreilli (Milne- Edwards, 1828), from material taken off Israel at depths ranging between 22 and 138 m (mainly 25 to 40 m), although this material may have included other taxa distinguished subsequently by Guţu (2002); the types of Băcescu no longer survive ( Guţu, 2001). Guţu (2002) raised the taxon to full specific rank, and, in examining much Mediterranean material, distinguished further species in the “ A. latreilli -group”, including from Israeli waters. He had a further 15 specimens of A. mediterraneus from “the Coasts of Israel, Haifa, 1970”. Despite this species being clearly very common in the fine sandy substrata off Israel, there are no other records in the literature.

The present collections comprise 3374 specimens from 99 samples, throughout the survey area between 32º54.054’N 034º04.330’E and 31º41.328’N 034º33.326’E, in shallower inshore waters ranging between 5 and 28 m depth.

Apseudopsis ostroumovi B ă cescu & Carausu, 1947

Apseudes ostroumovi, Guţu, 2002 , 24–26, fig. 3.

Material examined. 1 brooding female ( TAU AR 28414), RFI 7, 31º48.809’N 034º28.892’E, 62 m depth; fine mud, 0 3 May 2007. 5 specimens including 1 male (NHM.2008.4637–4641), RFI 7, 20 October 2007.

Remarks. This species, showing some similarities to A. mediterraneus , was first described from the Black Sea. Subsequent records from the Adriatic and the Balearic Sea were considered by Guţu (2002) to be of other taxa, and he restricted the distribution of A. ostroumovi to the Black Sea. Nevertheless, the present material accords entirely with the original description, in particular in having the very elongate spiniform process on the ocular lobe, characteristic of this species. Ventral hyposphenia in the male are restricted to pereonites 2 and 3 (the penial tubercle is conspicuous on pereonite 6). Females have hooked posterolateral spiniform apophyses on the pereonites, while those of the male are straight and longer. There are 4 ventral spines on the propodus of pereopod 1.