Platorchestia monodi ( Mateus, Mateus and Afonso, 1986 )

Wildish, D. J., Smith, S. R., Loeza-Quintana, T., Radulovici, A. E. & Adamowicz, S. J., 2016, Diversity and dispersal history of the talitrids (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Talitridae) of Bermuda, Journal of Natural History 50, pp. 1911-1933 : 1919

Platorchestia monodi ( Mateus, Mateus and Afonso, 1986) BOLD:AAB3402

As Orchestia platensis KrØyer 1845, p. 304 , fig. 2; Platorchestia platensis KrØyer 1845 , Bousfield 1982, p. 26; Orchestia monodi Mateus, Mateus and Afonso, 1986, p. 100 – 110, figs 1 – 7; Platorchestia monodi Morino and Ortal 1993, p. 825 – 829, figs 1 – 3; LeCroy 2011, p. 754 – 757, fig. 597.

Material examined

From the following sampling locations: 4B, 4C, 5C, 7A, 8B, 9A, 10A, 11A, 12A, 12C, 14A, 14B, 15A (see Table 1 and Figure 2 for further details). Note that 9A is the same sample location as 5C, but made at a later date.

Distribution

Found on most suitable beaches throughout the islands where wrack can strand. Besides its primary ecotope, under and in wrack, some specimens were found at 4C (Hungry Bay) within the sand substratum, limited to a few centimetres depth (see also Bousfield 1984, who records P. platensis from a similar habitat). Circular holes of 5 – 8 mm diameter near the P. monodi ecotope were thought not be associated with the animals, but to result from physical effects after high tide. Such holes, lacking any evidence of digging wastes, were found on other sand substrata where talitrids were absent. Two other secondary ecotopes identified were: coastal terrestrial soil litter (two female individuals) associated with T. alluaudi (11A), and in driftwood (see below).

Remarks

Present in 13 of 19 sampling locations and the commonest wrack generalist taxon. Dorsal pigment patterns are obscured by background colours and are not useful for field identification.

Figures

Figure 2. Map of the Bermudian archipelago showing sampling locations.