Epimeria robusta Klages, 1988: 73 Epimeria robustoides ? Lörz & Coleman in Lörz et al., 2009: 10 E. robustoides Epimeria robusta Coleman 1994: 560 robustoides robusta Verheye et al. 2016a , Epimeria robusta K.H. Barnard, 1930: 375 Epimeria robustoides Lörz & Coleman in Lörz et al. , 2009: 10 Epimeria of the Southern Ocean with notes on their relatives (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Eusiroidea) d’Acoz, Cédric d’Udekem Verheye, Marie L. European Journal of Taxonomy 2017 2017-10-17 359 1 553 6G67J Verheye, 2017 d’Acoz & Verheye 2017 [463,901,1688,1715] Malacostraca Epimeriidae Epimeria GBIF Animalia Amphipoda 77 78 Arthropoda species gargantua subgen. et sp. nov. Hoplepimeria   urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: E5FDFA56-F77B-46D9-9665-644728A7970C  Figs 145–151      Epimeria robusta Klages, 1988: 73, unnumbered fig., 76, 82, figs 20a–b.     Epimeria robustoides? Lörz & Coleman in Lörz et al.,2009: 10, possibly in part, possibly fig. 10A, not figs 2–5(=  E. robustoides).    Epimeria robusta–  Coleman 1994: 560, in part, fig. 5D only. ‘Clade G  robustoides/ robustacomplex - RO1’ –  Verheye et al.2016a,supplement: 4 (online).   non   Epimeria robustaK.H. Barnard, 1930: 375, figs 40a, 41.   non   Epimeria robustoidesLörz & Coleman in Lörz et al., 2009: 10, figs 2–5.    Etymology Gargantua is a giant and one of the main characters in the tales of François Rabelais, such as ‘La vie très horrifique du grand Gargantua, père de Pantagruel’. The name, which is a noun in apposition, alludes to the huge size of the species, which is the largest known  Epimeriaspecies.    Type material    Holotype RV Polarsterncruises:  SOUTHERN OCEAN: ♀, cruise PS81, ANT-XXIX/3, Bransfield Strait, stn 196-8, 62°47.80ʹ S, 57°5.35ʹ W to 62°47.63ʹ S, 57°5.63ʹ W,  542–580 m, trawl haul with huge stones and a lot of life, Agassiz trawl,  24 Feb. 2013, coll. C. d’Udekem d’Acozand M. Verheye( RBINS, INV. 122937A) [extraction ANT33; Genbank nr, COI: KU870820, 28S: KU759592].    Paratypes RV Polarsterncruises:  SOUTHERN OCEAN: 1 medium-sized spec., cruise PS69, ANT-XXIII/8, stn 662-1, between Elephant Islandand King George Island, 61°35.91ʹ S, 57°17.04ʹ W to 61°35.41ʹ S, 57°20.60ʹ W,  425–432 m, bottom trawl,  30 Dec. 2006, coll. C. d’Udekem d’Acozand H. Robert( RBINS, INV. 122491);  2 large specs, cruise PS69, ANT-XXIII/8, stn 663-1, northeast of King George Island, 61°38.18ʹ S, 57°33.17ʹ W to 61°38.02ʹ S, 57°37.16ʹ W, bottom trawl,  432–434 m,  30 Dec. 2006, coll. C. d’Udekem d’Acozand H. Robert( RBINS, INV. 122494);  5 specs, cruise PS81, ANT-XXIX/3, Bransfield Strait, stn 196-8, 62°47.80ʹ S, 57°5.35ʹ W to 62°47.63ʹ S, 57°5.63ʹ W,  542–580 m, trawl haul with huge stones and a lot of life, Agassiz trawl,  24 Feb. 2013, coll. C. d’Udekem d’Acozand M. Verheye( RBINS, INV. 122937B);  1 spec., cruise PS81, ANT-XXIX/3, Bransfield Strait, stn 217-6, 62°53.45ʹ S, 58°13.06ʹ W to 62°53.42ʹ S, 58°13.41ʹ W,  461–483 m, rich sponge bottom, Agassiz trawl,  2 Mar. 2013, coll. C. d’Udekem d’Acozand M. Verheye( RBINS, INV. 122927) [extraction K37; Genbank nr, COI: KU870869, 28S: KU759649];  1 spec., cruise PS81, ANT-XXIX/3, Bransfield Strait, stn 217-6, 62°53.45ʹ S, 58°13.06ʹ W to 62°53.42ʹ S, 58°13.41ʹ W,  461–483 m, rich sponge bottom, Agassiz trawl,  2 Mar. 2013, coll. C. d’Udekem d’Acozand M. Verheye( RBINS, INV. 122928) [extraction K38; Genbank nr, COI: KU870870, 28S: KU759650];  7 specs, cruise PS81, ANT-XXIX/3, Bransfield Strait, stn 217-6, 62°53.45ʹ S, 58°13.06ʹ W to 62°53.42ʹ S, 58°13.41ʹ W,  461–483 m, rich sponge bottom, Agassiz trawl,  2 Mar. 2013, coll. C. d’Udekem d’Acozand M. Verheye( RBINS, INV. 132957);  1 spec., cruise PS81, ANT-XXIX/3, Bransfield Strait, stn 217- 6, 62°53.45ʹ S, 58°13.06ʹ W to 62°53.42ʹ S, 58°13.41ʹ W,  461–483 m, rich sponge bottom, Agassiz trawl,  2 Mar. 2013, coll. C. d’Udekem d’Acozand M. Verheye( MNHN-IU-2014-7333, removed from RBINS, INV. 132957);  1 spec., cruise PS81, ANT-XXIX/3, Bransfield Strait, stn 227-2, 62°55.83ʹ S, 58°41.09ʹ W to 62°55.76ʹ S, 58°41.46ʹ W,  562–564 m, mud, Agassiz trawl,  5 Mar. 2013, RBINS, coll. C. d’Udekem d’Acozand M. Verheye( RBINS, INV. 122939) [extraction ANT40; Genbank nr, COI: KU870826, 28S: KU759599].    Description ROSTRUM. Medium-sized, not reaching tip of article 1 of peduncle of antenna 1, anteriorly distinctly and regularly curved, ventrally straight, fairly narrow and subacute in lateral view; fairly narrow and with very weakly convex converging borders in frontal view. EYE. Very large, broadly elliptic to more or less reniform. PEREION–PLEOSOME TOOTH PATTERN. Pereionites 1–7 smooth; pleonite 1 dorsally weakly carinate, very weakly convex, with distinct posterior bump; pleonite 2 dorsally distinctly carinate, with extremely low (nearly inconspicuous) proximal rounded lobe followed by extremely weak (nearly inconspicuous) concavity, posteriorly produced into a bluntly triangular tooth projecting backwards; pleonite 3 dorsally distinctly carinate with median very low rounded lobe, followed by distinct concavity, terminated by a blunt tooth directed upwards. COXAE 1–3. Not carinate, apically subacute. COXA 4. Anterodorsal border nearly straight (inconspicuously concave), anteroventral border straight, these two borders being joined by blunt but broad, very distinct squared angle (anterior corner), which is slightly projecting forward; ventral corner forming a very obtuse angle (ventral projection very short and very broad); lateral carina absent; posteroventral border nearly straight (inconspicuously convex). COXA 5. Broad, with surface smooth, with posterior border inconspicuously concave (nearly straight), with posteroventral corner forming a blunt tooth (shape: acute triangle) projecting backwards and not laterally (no tooth or corner visible in dorsal view). COXA 6. With posterior border very weakly concave, with posteroventral corner forming a blunt tooth (shape: narrow acute triangle) projecting backwards and not laterally (no tooth or corner visible in dorsal view). COXA 7. Posteriorly weakly rounded. EPIMERAL PLATES 1–3. Posteroventral angle: angulate in plate 1, produced into a medium-sized tooth in plates 2–3. UROSOME TOOTH PATTERN. Urosomite 1 with well developed blunt-tipped process of which both the anterior and the posterior borders have an angulate concavity (the anterior deeper); urosomite 3 with dorsolateral borders weakly concave and posteriorly produced into a sharp triangular tooth. TELSON. Cleft nearly on 0.2; tips of lobes triangular and subacute, notch very broadly V-shaped and subacute at its deepest point. GNATHOPODS 1–2. Carpus and propodus very broad; propodus expanding distally, palm distinct. PEREIOPODS 5–7. Merus, carpus and propodus fairly broad; dactylus small, very curved, with long unguis; basis of pereiopods 5–6 broad, with posteroproximal process present, sword-like, projecting obliquely, with posterodistal corner produced into a triangular tooth (with tip subacute), projecting backwards; basis of pereiopod 7 broad; posterior border with proximal 0.4 with weak concavity, with distal 0.6 deeply concave, with posterodistal corner forming a narrowly triangular tooth projecting backwards.   Colour pattern Body and coxae pure white, gnathopods and oral field purplish; antennae and pereiopods 3–4 pale pink; pereiopods 5–7 and tailfan pure white; eyes red. This colour pattern was very consistent in all specimens examined during ANT-XXIX/3; none had spots or marks on their immaculate body.   Body length Up to 80 mm.    Distribution Between Elephant Island and King George Island; northeast of King George Island, Bransfield Strait; 404–580 m(present material; Coleman 1994: “  Epimeria robustafrom Elephant Island” (specimen actually collected between Elephant and King George Islands)).    Remarks   Epimeria gargantua sp. nov.is the largest known  Epimeriaspecies, both in length and body volume.  Epimeria gargantua sp. nov.(tip of Antarctic Peninsula) is morphologically similar to  E. robustoides(eastern shelf of the Weddell Sea), but these two species were identified as separate species by methods based on COI and 28S genes ( Fig. 342). In  E. gargantua sp. nov., the dorsolateral margins of urosomite 3 are less concave and the posterodistal corner of the basis of pereiopods 5–7 sharper than in  E. robustoides. The colour pattern of  E. gargantua sp. nov.is very constant (body white, without coloured marks), whilst it is more variable in  E. robustoides. 2625583311 2013-02-24 Agassiz trawl RBINS C. d'Udekem d'Acoz & M. Verheye 561 -62.793835 SOUTHERN OCEAN 10 -57.093834 Polarstern 78 79 RBINS, INV. 122937A 1 1 holotype 5008569327 [234,359,860,886] 2006-12-30 bottom trawl RBINS C. d'Udekem d'Acoz & H. Robert 429 -61.5985 SOUTHERN OCEAN 10 -57.343334 78 79 1 Elephant Island paratype 5008569352 2006-12-30 bottom trawl RBINS C. d'Udekem d'Acoz & H. Robert 433 -61.636333 King George Island 10 -57.619335 78 79 2 King George Island paratype 5008569405 2013-02-24 Agassiz trawl RBINS C. d'Udekem d'Acoz & M. Verheye 561 -62.796665 Bransfield Strait 10 -57.093834 Bransfield Strait 78 79 5 paratype 5008569319 2013-03-02 Agassiz trawl RBINS C. d'Udekem d'Acoz & M. Verheye 472 -62.890835 Bransfield Strait 10 -58.2235 Bransfield Strait 78 79 1 paratype 5008569464 2013-03-02 Agassiz trawl RBINS C. d'Udekem d'Acoz & M. Verheye 472 -62.890835 Bransfield Strait 10 -58.2235 Bransfield Strait 78 79 1 paratype 5008569380 2013-03-02 Agassiz trawl RBINS C. d'Udekem d'Acoz & M. Verheye 472 -62.890835 Bransfield Strait 10 -58.2235 Bransfield Strait 78 79 7 paratype 5008569472 2013-03-02 Agassiz trawl C. d'Udekem d'Acoz & M. Verheye 472 -62.890835 Bransfield Strait 10 -58.2235 Bransfield Strait 78 79 MNHN-IU-2014-7333 1 paratype 5008569372 2013-03-05 Agassiz trawl RBINS C. d'Udekem d'Acoz & M. Verheye 563 -62.9305 Bransfield Strait 10 -58.691 Bransfield Strait 78 79 1 paratype