Araphuroides batmania, Błażewicz-Paszkowycz & Bamber, 2012

Błażewicz-Paszkowycz, M. & Bamber, R. N., 2012, The Shallow-water Tanaidacea (Arthropoda: Malacostraca: Peracarida) of the Bass Strait, Victoria, Australia (other than the Tanaidae), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 69, pp. 1-235 : 149-152

Araphuroides batmania sp. nov.

Figures 100–101

Material examined. 1 (J58572), holotype, 4 (J58904), paratypes, Central Bass Strait, 28 km E of Cape Farewell, King Island , Stn BSS 107 S, 39º32.8'S 144º16.0'E, 18 m depth, fine sand, 1 November 1980; 25 (J58571) , paratypes, Central Bass Strait, 35 km E of Cape Farewell, King Island , Stn BSS 108 G, 39º32.8'S 144º21.0'E, 27 m depth, fine sand, 01 November 1980; all coll. M.F. Gomon & G.C.B. Poore.

Description of female. Body ( Fig. 100A, B) slender, holotype 3.2 mm long, 6.6 times as long as wide. Cephalothorax subrectangular, 1.3 times as long as wide, shorter than pereonites 1 and 2 together, with single anterolateral seta on each side, eyes absent. Pereonites rectangular, mostly with convex lateral margins; pereonite 1 longest, 0.6 times as long as cephalothorax; pereonites 2 to 5 subequal, half as long as cephalothorax; pereonite 6 shortest, half as long as pereonite 1 (all pereonites respectively 1.25, 1.5, 1.6, 1.5, 1.5 and 2.4 times as wide as long). Pleon with five free subequal pleonites bearing pleopods; each pleonite 4.8 times as wide as long. Pleotelson semicircular, as long as last two pleonites together, with one posterolateral seta on each side.

Antennule ( Fig. 100C) of four articles, proximal article 2.7 times as long as wide, just longer than distal three articles together; second article 1.5 times as long as wide, 0.4 times as long as first article; third article shorter than wide, 0.4 times as long as second article; fourth article tapering, twice as long as third article, with four distal setae and one aesthetasc.

Antenna ( Fig. 100D) of six articles, proximal article compact, fused to cephalothorax; second article longer than wide, with dorsodistal seta; third article as long as wide, with dorsodistal seta; fourth article longest, 4.7 times as long as wide, with midventral and ventrodistal penicillate setae and ventrodistal simple seta; fifth article 0.4 times as long as fourth with one distal seta; sixth article minute with four distal setae.

Labrum ( Fig. 100E) hood-shaped, naked. Left mandible ( Fig. 100F) with narrow, crenulate lacinia mobilis, cutting-edge angled; pars incisiva truncate with prominent crenulations. Right mandible ( Fig. 100G) without lacinia mobilis, pars incisiva pointed with inner crenulations; pars molaris of both mandibles distally with strong, rounded tooth-like protrusions. Labium not recovered. Maxillule ( Fig. 100H, H') with nine distal spines, at least some of these finely denticulate, and fine distal setules, palp with two distal setae. Maxilla ( Fig. 100H) ovoid, simple, naked. Maxilliped palp ( Fig. 100I) first article with simple outer seta, second and third articles with three inner setae, fourth article with four distal, finely denticulate spines and one outer subdistal seta; basis naked; endites distally with single seta, outer group of setules and slight inner tubercle.

Cheliped ( Fig. 101A) naked basis attached to substantial sclerite; merus subtriangular with single ventral seta; carpus 1.5 times as long as wide, with two midventral and one dorsodistal setae; propodus with row of rounded tubercles along outer ventral margin including fixed finger, with two ventral setae, three setae on crenulate cutting edge; dactylus dorsal margin with rounded tuberculation.

Pereopod 1 ( Fig. 101B) coxa with seta; basis 3.9 times as long as wide, naked; ischium compact with ventral seta as long as merus; merus just longer than carpus, with fine dorsodistal seta, ventrodistally with slender spine denticulate in distal two-thirds and simple seta; carpus distally with strong dorsodistal spine, smaller ventrodistal spine and mid-distal seta; propodus 1.4 times as long as carpus, with short ventrodistal spine; dactylus half as long as slender unguis, both together as long as propodus. Pereopod 2 ( Fig. 101C) similar to pereopod 1, but basis with proximal seta, merus with stouter ventrodistal spine but without dorsodistal seta, carpus with longer ventrodistal spine, propodus with dorsodistal seta. Pereopod 3 ( Fig. 101D) similar to pereopod 2, but basis naked.

Pereopod 4 ( Fig. 101E) basis stouter than those of anterior pereopods, 3.2 times as long as wide, with ventral penicillate seta; ischium with two ventral setae; merus and carpus subequal, merus 0.6 times as long as carpus and with two ventrodistal spines, carpus with distal crown of four denticulate spines; propodus 1.3 times as long as carpus, with mid-dorsal penicillate seta, one dorsodistal and two ventrodistal spines; dactylus longer than unguis. Pereopod 5 ( Fig. 101F) as pereopod 4, but basis naked. Pereopod 6 ( Fig. 101G) as pereopod 5, but propodus with three dorsodistal setae.

Pleopods ( Fig. 101H) all alike, with naked basis, endopod and exopod without setae on inner margin, outer distal margins with respectively 7 and 12 plumose setae, additional proximal exopod seta separated from others.

Uropod ( Fig. 101I) exopod process 0.4 times as long as proximal endopod segment, with three distal setae; endopod of two segments, proximal segment with one simple and two penicillate distal setae, distal segment half as long as proximal segment and with four simple and three penicillate distal setae.

Male. Unknown.

Etymology. Batmania was one of the names of the early settlement at Melbourne (ca. 1835), named after John Batman, a leading member of the Tasmanian Port Phillip Association.

Remarks. For reasons given above under Araphuroides stabastris , the present species is again closest only to A. io; unlike the previous species, A. batmania sp. nov. also has on pereopod 1 the shorter carpus, shorter distal merus and carpus setae, and proportionately shorter dactylus plus claw of A. io, and again shares the absence of a line of pseudo-articulation on the fourth antennal article. Like A. io, but unlike A. stabastris , the female of the present species has pleopods.

Araphuroides batmania is distinguished from A. io by its longer first pereonite on a generally stouter body, fewer setae on the maxilliped palp, and a mandible with more complex crenulation on the pars incisiva and rounded distal tubercles on the pars molaris, and is distinguished from A. io, and all other described species in the genus, in having rounded tubercles on both fingers of the chela.

Araphuroides batmania was taken in the Central Bass strait east of Cape Farewell, King Island at depths of 18 to 27 m in fine sand .