Dulichiella guinea, Published, 2007

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 : 31-34

Dulichiella guinea sp. nov.

( Figs 23–24)

Melita fresnelli . – Pirlot, 1939: 76 (unconfirmed). – Reid, 1951: 242 (part from Sierra Leone unconfirmed).

? Dulichiella appendiculata . – Ledoyer, 1986: 187, fig. 9 (S).

Type material. Holotype male, 7.9 mm, NMS Z2006.063.0001 . Paratypes: 1 female, 8.5 mm, NMS Z2006.063.0002; 1 male, 8.1 mm, NMS Z 2006.063.0003; 7 specimens, NMS Z2006.063.0004, off Kaloum Peninsula , Guinea, south-eastern North Atlantic (9°20'N 14°15'W), 32 m, Atlantide Expedition, 13 April 1946, stn 145 .

Type locality. Off Kaloum Peninsula , Guinea, south-eastern North Atlantic (9°20'N 14°15'W), 32 m depth .

Description. Based on holotype male, 7.9 mm, NMS Z2006.063.0001, paratype female, 8.5 mm, NMS

Z2006.063.0002 and paratype male, 8.1 mm, NMS Z2006.063.0003. Body large. Head eyes ovate; lateral cephalic lobe broad, truncated, anteroventral corner with slender setae. Antenna 1 peduncular article 1 shorter than article 2, with 3 robust setae along posterior margin. Antenna 2 peduncular article 2 cone gland not reaching to end of peduncular article 3.

Gnathopod 1 coxa anteroventral corner not produced, anterior margin straight; carpus subequal in length to propodus; propodus small, linear, palm convex, defined by posterodistal corner, with posterodistal robust

setae. Gnathopod 2 coxa posteroventral corner notch present (minute); (larger) propodus distolateral crown with 4 rounded or subacute spines, fourth spine well developed, palm sinusoidal, posterodistal corner produced, upturned, with dactylus fitting into corner; dactylus apically blunt; (smaller) merus with sharp posteroventral spine; palm straight, without robust setae, posterodistal corner with robust setae; dactylus with more than 2 setae on anterior margin. Pereopod 5 dactylar unguis anterior margin with accessory spine. Pereopods 6–7 basis, merus, carpus and propodus with bunches of long slender setae. Pereopod 6 basis posterior margin straight; dactylar unguis anterior margin with accessory spine. Pereopod 7 basis posterior margin straight.

Pleonite/urosomite dorsal spine formula (9-9-7-5-4-2). Pleonites 1–3 with dense dorsal setae. Epimeron 1 posteroventral corner with small acute or subacute spine. Epimeron 2 posteroventral corner acute. 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 without 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 strongly sinusoidal; dactylus crenulate. Pereopod 7 basis expanded, posterior margin convex.

Etymology. Named for Guinea in western Africa, the area where the species occurs.

Habitat. Marine epibenthic, living on sand, shell and bryozoan bottoms in 15 to 50 m depth.

Remarks. We have not seen the material reported by Pirlot (1939), but it was collected from Conakry, Guinea, western Africa, very near the type locality of D. guinea , and we assume it is the same species. Ledoyer (1986) reported a species of Dulichiella from Senegal and Reid (1951) reported a species from Sierra Leone. We have not seen this material, but suspect that it might be D. guinea .

Dulichiella guinea is perhaps the most distinctive species in the genus. It belongs with those species which have 9 dorsal spines on the pleosome segments. This includes the eastern Pacific species D. spinosa and the western Atlantic species D. anisochir and D. terminos . It is distinguished from these species and in fact all species of Dulichiella by the dense rows of dorsal setae on the pleosome and all species but D. appendiculata by the long slender setae on the basis, merus, carpus and propodus of male pereopod 7.

Distribution. Western Africa.? Senegal ( Ledoyer, 1986);? Sierra Leone ( Reid, 1951); Guinea, ( Pirlot, 1939; Reid, 1951).