Sunamphitoe fantome Peart, 2009

Hughes, L. E. & Lowry, J. K., 2009, Ampithoidae *, Zootaxa 2260 (1), pp. 153-219 : 214-217

Sunamphitoe fantome Peart sp. nov.

( Figs 37 , 38 )

Type material. Holotype, female, ovigerous, 7.0 mm, AM P51261, Fantome Island , Queensland, Australia (18°40’S 146°31’E), low water mark, on Sargassum sp. , G. Edgar, 18 July 1996 ( CA 12 ) . Paratypes: male, 5.0 mm, AM P51262 , male, 4.0 mm. AM P51263; 2 males, 1 female , 3–4 mm, AM P51264 ( CA 12 ) .

Type locality. Fantome Island , Queensland, Australia (18°40’S 146°31’E), low water mark, on Sargassum sp .

Etymology. This species is named for Fantome Island, the type locality.

Description. Based on holotype, female, 7.0 mm, AM P51261.

Head. Head as long as deep. Antenna 1 longer than antenna 2; peduncular article 1 subequal to article 2; flagellum 27 articles; accessory flagellum absent. Antenna 2 peduncle not densely setose on ventral margin; article 4 longer than article 5; flagellum 10 articles. Upper lip directed nearly straight down, lateral margins each with midlateral notch. Mandible molar well developed, triturating, accessory setal row 7 serrate setae; palp absent. Lower lip outer plates notched, forming a distal excavation, medial and lateral lobes subequal in size; mandibular lobe with curved margins, apically subacute. Maxilla 1 inner plate with 1 seta; palp article 2 slender. Maxilla 2 inner plate narrower than outer plate. Maxilliped outer plate with row of large robust setae along medial margin.

Pereon. Coxae 1–4 deeper than broad. Gnathopod 1 subequal in size to gnathopod 2; coxa subequal in size to coxa 2, not anteriorly produced, anteroventral corner rounded, with a tuft of slender setae in the posteroventral corner; basis subequal in length to coxa, anterodistal lobe rounded, anterior margin with fringe of short slender setae; merus posterodistal lobe rounded; carpus shorter than propodus, anterior margin with distal slender setae, posterior margin convex; propodus narrow, subrectangular; palm transverse, straight, with subquadrate posterodistal corner, with 1 robust seta defining palm; dactylus overreaching palm, tapering evenly, apically acute, inner margin crenate. Gnathopod 2 coxa with a tuft of slender setae in the posteroventral corner; basis anterodistal lobe rounded, anterior margin with fringe of short slender setae; merus subacute distal lobe; carpus shorter than propodus, subtriangular; propodus broad, less than 1.5 x as long as broad, subrectangular, not produced into an anterodistally setose lobe; palm nearly transverse, with subquadrate posterodistal corner, with 1 robust seta defining palm; dactylus overreaching palm, tapering evenly, apically acute, inner margin crenate. Pereopods 3–4 basis expanded, distally broad; merus distally expanded, subequal in length to carpus.

Pleon. Epimera 2–3 posteroventral corner narrowly rounded. Uropod 1 peduncle with 9 robust setae, with long fringe of slender setae (greater than 0.5 x length of peduncle), with large, acute distoventral spine; outer ramus with 6 lateral robust setae; inner ramus with 6 lateral robust setae. Uropod 2 peduncle with 5 robust setae; outer ramus with 6 lateral robust seta; inner ramus with 8 lateral robust setae. Uropod 3 peduncle longer than broad, more than 2 x length of rami, marginal slender setae present, with 3 distal peduncular robust setae, with 5 distal slender setae; outer ramus with 2 large recurved distal robust setae; inner ramus with 5 distal slender setae and 1 robust seta, without lateral robust setae. Telson subtriangular.

Male (sexually dimorphic characters). Based on paratype, male, 5.0 mm, AM P51262. Antenna 1 flagellum 27 articles. Antenna 2 peduncle with short, dense setae on ventral margin. Gnathopod 1 smaller than gnathopod 2; coxa, anterior margin straight, anteroventral corner subacute; basis anterodistal lobe with 1 slender seta; merus distal lobe subacute. Gnathopod 2 basis with sparse slender setae, anterodistal corner without setae; merus margin with short, rounded distal lobe; carpus much shorter than propodus, cup-shaped; propodus subovoid; palm extremely acute, entire, with proximal, with broad subquadrate projection near base of dactylus, without palm defining robust setae; dactylus inner margin smooth.

Habitat. Brown alga Sargassum sp.

Remarks. Sunamphitoe fantome sp. nov. is similar to S. pelagica ( Milne Edwards, 1830) known from the North Atlantic ( Chevreux & Fage 1925, Lincoln 1979, Bousfield 1983), the Mediterranean Sea (Krapp- Schickel 1982) and Indonesia (Ledoyer 1979). In S. fantome the male gnathopod 2 propodus palm has a blunt subquadrate proximal projection and in S. pelagica the palm has a proximal excavation. A few other subtle differences between these two species include the length to depth of the head ( S. fantome , as long as deep; S. pelagica , longer than deep); antenna 2 development ( S. fantome , robust and better developed than antenna 1; S. pelagica , slender, similar to antenna 1); gnathopod 1 carpus posterior margin ( S. fantome , rounded; S. pelagica , truncated).

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

Figures

FIGURE 37. Sunamphitoe fantome Peart sp. nov., holotype, female, 7.0 mm, AM P51261, paratype, male, 5.0 mm, AM P51262, Fantome Island, Great Barrier Reef.

FIGURE 38. Sunamphitoe fantome Peart sp. nov., holotype, female, 7.0 mm, AM P51261, paratype, male, 5.0 mm, AM P51262, Fantome Island, Great Barrier Reef.