Dulichiella cotesi ( Giles, 1890 )

Published, First, 2007, A revision of the tropical / temperate amphipod genus Dulichiella Stout, 1912, and the description of a new Atlantic genus Verdeia gen. nov. (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Melitidae), Zootaxa 1424, pp. 1-62 : 22-24

Dulichiella cotesi ( Giles, 1890)

( Figs 14–16)

Melita cotesi Giles, 1890: 64 , pl. 2, fig. 1. – Della Valle, 1893: 895.

Melita fresnelii . – Stebbing, 1906: 423 (in part).

Type material. Holotype male, BMNH 2006.602 , Andaman Sea.

Type locality. Andaman Islands , Indian Ocean .

Additional material. Male, 5.3 mm, MCSN, female, 6.4 mm, MCSN, 5 specimens, MCSN, outside Port Meadows , Andaman Islands (12°01'N 92°45'E), 1–8 m, Ulrich Schiecke, 22 December, 1978 .

Description. Based on male, 5.3 mm, MCSN and female, 6.4 mm, MCSN. Body large. Head eyes round; lateral cephalic lobe broad, truncated, anteroventral corner with slender setae. Antenna 1 peduncular article 1 shorter than article 2, with 4 robust setae along posterior margin. Antenna 2 peduncular article 2 cone gland reaching to end of peduncular article 3; article 4 subequal to article 5. Mandibular palp article 1 about as long as broad, inner margin article 1 produced distally.

Gnathopod 1 coxa anteroventral corner not produced, anterior margin straight, not produced, small posteroventral corner notch present; carpus subequal in length to propodus; propodus "stout", palm slightly convex, defined by posterodistal corner, with posterodistal robust seta. Gnathopod 2 coxa small posteroventral corner notch present; (larger) propodus distolateral crown with 2 rounded or subacute spines, palm sinusoidal, posterodistal corner produced, straight, dactylus fitting against corner; dactylus apically blunt; (smaller) merus with sharp posteroventral spine; palm straight, without robust setae, posterodistal corner with robust setae; dactylus with 3 setae on anterior margin. Pereopod 5 dactylar unguis anterior margin with accessory spine. Pereopods 6–7 carpus and propodus unknown. Pereopod 6 basis posterior margin straight; dactylar unguis anterior margin with accessory spine. Pereopod 7 basis posterior margin slightly concave.

Pleonite/urosomite dorsal spine formula (7-7-7-5-6-2). Pleonites 1–3 with sparse dorsal setae. Epimeron 1 posteroventral corner with small acute or subacute spine. Epimeron 2 posteroventral corner subquadrate. Epimeron 3 posteroventral margin smooth. Urosomite 1 with spine at midline, no conspicuous medial gape. Urosomite 2 with two groups of 1–3 small dorsolateral robust setae. Urosomite 3 with two groups of small dorsal setae, with 2 dorsal spines. Uropod 3 outer ramus very long, about 2 x peduncle. Telson with dorsal robust setae.

Female (sexually dimorphic characters). Gnathopod 2 subequal in size, similar to smaller gnathopod 2 of male; palm concave; dactylus posterior margin slightly crenulate. Pereopod 7 basis expanded, posterior margin tapering distally.

Habitat. Marine epibenthic, 1–8 m depth.

Remarks. Giles (1890) original illustrations of the males second gnathopod show no spines on the distolateral crown. Because of this and other inconsistencies in the original description D. cotesi has remained unidentifiable for 115 years. However, the discovery of the holotype by Miranda Lowe (unregistered in the collections of the Natural History Museum, London) and new collections from the Andaman Islands (made by Ulrich Schiecke for the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Verona) has allowed us to redescribe the species.

Dulichiella cotesi and D. tomioka sp. nov. both apparently have only two spines on the distolateral crown of male gnathopod 2. Dulichiella cotesi differs from D. tomioka in a slightly different dorsal spine formula (7-7- 7-5-6-2) (7-9-7-5-6- 2 in D. tomioka ); in the dactyli of the pereopods which have one accessory spine in D. cotesi (two accessory spines in D. tomioka ); and in the basis of pereopod 7 which has a concave posterior mar-

gin (straight in D. tomioka ). The female of D. tomioka is not known.

Distribution. Andaman Islands, Indian Ocean.