Bemlos quadrimanus (Sivaprakasam)

Appadoo, C & Myers, A. A., 2004, Corophiidea (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from Mauritius, Records of the Australian Museum 56 (3), pp. 331-362 : 352

Bemlos quadrimanus (Sivaprakasam)

Lembos quadrimanus Sivaprakasam, 1970c ; 81, fig. 1.

Lembos waipio ?.— Ledoyer, 1972: 200, pl. 21A, 22, 24 = Lembos quadrimanus Mozambicus.

Lembos quadrimanus mozambicus Myers, 1975a: 359 , fig. 33– 39.

Bemlos quadrimanus .— Myers, 1988a: 188; 1988b: 282, fig. 14.

Bemlos waipio .—Appadoo & Steele, 1998: 640 = Bemlos quadrimanus .

Material examined. 833, 7♀♀, AM P60848, from Turbinaria ornata and Pocockiella variegata, Bain Boeuf (19°59'S 57°36'E), 28 August 1998. 13, 9♀♀, AM P60849, from Sargassum sp. , Padina sp. and Caulerpa sertulariodes, Bain Boeuf , 6 April 1999. 13, AM P60850, from Sargassum sp. , La Cuvette (20°00'S 57°34.2'E), 12 October 1999.

Diagnosis. Body with mottled brown pigmentation on head, pereon segments 2–6 and epimeron 1. Coxae and pereon segments 3–5 with well-developed acute sternal processes. Gnathopod 1 coxa 2.3× as broad as long; carpus 1.9× as broad as long, anterior margin with few setae; propodus globular, broad, 1.5× as long as broad, anterior margin with few groups of slender setae; distal end of palmar margin with a tooth-like process; dactylus robust, medially expanded, 1.8× length of palm. Gnathopod 2 carpus and propodus with few groups of setae on anterior margin.

Female gnathopod 1 not greatly enlarged; propodus 1.3× length of carpus, 1.8× as long as broad, palmar margin oblique and smooth with one robust seta at posterodistal corner.

Type locality. Appa Island , Gulf of Mannar .

Distribution. East Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, India, Western Australia.

Habitat. Bemlos quadrimanus was collected from depths of less than 1 m from sites in the north coast of Mauritius and at Ile D’Ambre. It is mostly associated with the brown algae Sargassum sp. and the brown alga, which encrusts on corals, Pocockiella variegata . It was particularly very common at Bain Boeuf, a site on the north coast where the seawater has a high amount of detritus or suspended matter.

Remarks. The current material agrees with the description given by Myers (1975a: 359, fig. 33–39). One of the small difference being the lack of setae on epimera 1 and 2 as shown by Myers (1975a: 363, fig. 35).

Bemlos quadrimanus is distinguished from Bemlos teleporus , by the globular shape of the male gnathopod 1 propodus in B. quadrimanus compared to that of B. teleporus . One of the easily used distinguishing features of Bemlos quadrimanus is the mottled brown pigmentation on the body. The chromatophores are found on the head, coxae, pleon 3 to 5 and epimeron 1 sometimes extending onto epimeron 2. In B. teleporus , the chromatophores are present in a speckles rather than large blotches on the head, pleon 2–7 and epimeron 1 and 2. It differs from B. pseudopunctatus by the lack of a carpal tooth or teeth on the male gnathopod 1.