Cyproidea cobia, Azman, 2009

Azman, B. A. R., 2009, Cyproideidae *, Zootaxa 2260 (1), pp. 380-392 : 381-385

Cyproidea cobia sp. nov.

( Figs 1 , 2 , 3 , Pl. 2G)

Type material. Holotype, sex unknown, 4.2 mm, AM P78320 (in slides), Cobia Hole , Lizard Island (14°39.09’S 145°26.51’E), coarse sediment, 17 m, J.K. Lowry, 25 February 2005 (QLD 1666) . Paratype: 1 unsexed, AM P70762, Loomis Beach moorings, Lizard Island , Queensland (14°41.027’S 145°26.877’E), sand & silt, sandy bottom, 3 m, J. Just, 25 February 2005 (QLD 1650) .

Type locality. Cobia Hole , Lizard Island, Queensland, Australia (14°39.09’S 145°26.51’E) .

Additional Material Examined. 1 unsexed, AM P70781 (QLD 1666); 2 unsexed, AM P70913 (QLD 1672).

Etymology. Named after the type locality.

Description. Based on holotype, sex unknown, AM P70837.

Head. Head lateral cephalic lobe narrowly rounded apically; eyes large and round. Antenna 1 peduncle article 2 produced distally; primary flagellum with 7 articles. Antenna 2 slender and slightly longer than antenna 1. Mandible molar vestigial; palp present, with 3 articles, long and slender; lacinia mobilis multidentate; incisor strongly dentate. Maxilla 1 palp 1-articulate. Maxilla 2 outer plate longer than inner, both generally setose. Maxilliped outer plate not reaching the distal margin of palp article 1; palp with 4 articles, article 3 terminating in a lobe, article 4 dactylate. Upper lip asymmetrically. Lower lip apical margin of the outer lobe with small and deep cleft; mandibular process rounded.

Pereon. Gnathopod 1 subchelate; coxa vestigial; basis slender with minute setae along anterior margin; ischium posterior margin bristly; merus produced into triangular process; carpus subtriangular, not produced in the posterior lobe, with long setae and bristly; propodus subovate, palm serrated; dactylus attenuate, inner margin serrate. Gnathopod 2 carpochelate; coxa vestigial; basis subrectangular; ischium subrectangular, posterior process not developed; carpus lobe extending almost two third of propodus; propodus subovate, palm serrated; dactylus, inner margin serrated, attenuated. Pereopod 3 coxa expanded, broadly triangular; basis to dactylus slender. Pereopod 4 coxa very developed, relatively bigger than coxa 3; basis to dactylus slender. Pereopod 5 basis rectolinear. Pereopod 6 coxa small with minute seta posterodistally; basis rectolinear. Pereopod 7 coxa small with minute seta posterodistally; basis slightly expanded proximally.

Pleon. Pleonite 3 without dorsodistal process. Epimeron 3 posteroventral corner rounded. Urosomite 1 without dorsal keel. Urosomite 3 with triangular process reaching beyond half of telson. Uropod 1 peduncle longer than rami; rami subequal in length with minutely pectinate. Uropod 2 similar to uropod 1 but smaller. Uropod 3 peduncle as long as inner ramus, outer ramus slightly longer than inner. Telson apically rounded.

Habitat. Coarse sediment, 3–17 m.

Remarks. The genus Cyproidea is characterized by a having transverse palm on gnathopod 2, vaulted urosomite 3 overlapping the telson, telson small and not reaching apex of peduncle 3. So far, only five species of Cyproidea have been described, Cyproidea ornata Haswell, 1879 , based on material from Port Jackson, New South Wales; Cyproidea liodactyla Hirayama, 1978 , from Japan; Cyproidea marmorata Moore, 1981 , from Tinderbox, Tasmania; Cyproidea robusta Ren, 2006 from Hainan, China; and Cyproidea serratipalma Schellenberg, 1938 , from New Caledonia.

The new species can be distinguished from all other existing species of Cyproidea by the following characteristics: (1) the basis of gnathopod 2 is rectolinear whereas in the remaining species they are somewhat expanded anteriorly; (2) the posterodistal process of gnathopod 2 ischium is not developed, on the contrary it is well developed in the rest of the species. Cyproidea cobia sp. nov. closely resembles Cyproidea liodactyla in having slightly produced carpal lobe of gnathopod 1 and subequal length of uropod 2 rami, but is easily distinguishable by the undeveloped posterodistal process of gnathopod 2 ischium. However, in terms of body size Cyproidea cobia at 4.2 mm is distinctly larger than Cyproidea liodactyla (2.8 mm), Cyproidea marmorata (3.5 mm) and Cyproidea serratipalma (4.0 mm).

Distribution. Australia. Queensland: Lizard Island (current study).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Cyproidea cobia sp. nov., holotype, sex unknown, 4.2 mm, AM P78320, Cobia Hole, Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef.

FIGURE 2. Cyproidea cobia sp. nov., holotype, sex unknown, 4.2 mm, AM P78320, Cobia Hole, Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef.

FIGURE 3. Cyproidea cobia sp. nov., holotype, sex unknown, 4.2 mm, AM P78320, Cobia Hole, Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef.