Curidia ramonae, Lowry & Myers, 2003

Lowry, J. K. & Myers, A. A., 2003, New Amphipod Crustaceans From The Indo-West Pacific (Amathillopsidae: Eusiridae: Iphimediidae), Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 51 (2), pp. 219-256 : 250-253

Curidia ramonae , new species

( Figs. 32-34 )

Material examined. – Holotype - sex not known, 1.0 mm. AM P64449; Dam Awan , Papua New Guinea, 5 09.27’S 145 49.86’E, coral rubble, dead encrusted Acropora , 15 to 30 m, coll. J. D. Thomas, 17 Apr.1991, stn JDTPNG-72a.

Type locality. – Dam Awan , Madang Lagoon, Papua New Guinea .

Description. – Head laterocephalic margin acute, long, ventrolateral corner narrowly rounded; eyes round. Antenna 1 peduncular article 1, distoventral spine as long as peduncular article 2; peduncular article 2 short, about 0.9 x as long as broad, distoventral spine longer than peduncular article 3. Antenna 2 peduncular article 4 with distoventral spine reaching about two thirds along article 5; article 5 without significant distoventral spine. Mandible molar reduced, triturating. Maxilla 1 palp reduced, 1-articulate, with a long apical seta. Maxilliped palp present, with 1 article, with a short apical seta.

Pereon. Body with sharply raised pereonal carina forming a dorsal keel, without spines or lateral plaques. Pereonite 1 enlarged, produced over head. Gnathopod 1 coxa straight, ventrally truncated. Gnathopod 2 coxa ventrally rounded; carpus strongly lobate posterodistally along propodus. Pereopod 3 coxa ventrally rounded. Pereopod 5 coxa not anteriorly produced, anterior margin truncated, straight, posteroventral corner broadly rounded. Pereopod 6 coxa posteroventral corner broadly rounded. Pereonite 7 with a small apically acute dorsodistal spine.

Pleon. Pleonite 1 with a small apically subquadrate dorsodistal carina. Pleonite 2 with a small apically rounded dorsodistal carina. Pleonite 3 with a narrow apically rounded mid-dorsal carina. Epimeron 1 posteroventral corner subquadrate. Epimeron 2 posterior margin with 1 midlateral spine, posteroventral corner subquadrate. Epimeron 3 posterior margin excavate, posteroventral corner produced into a curved spine. Telson apically acute.

Remarks. – This species can be distinguished from the other three species of Curidia by the following combination of characters: well developed and acute posterodorsal spine on pereonite 7 and uropod 3 with subequal rami. It also differs from both C. magellanica and C. debrogania in having a rudimentary distoventral spine on antenna 2 peduncular article 5.

Distribution. – Papua New Guinea.

Etymology. – Named for Ramona Kent, good friend and diving partner during the summer of 1994 at Madang.

Figures

Fig. 32. Curidia ramonae, new species, unknown sex, 1.0 mm, AM P64449, Dam Awan, Papua New Guinea.

Fig. 33. Curidia ramonae, new species, unknown sex, 1.0mm, AM P64449, Dam Awan, Papua New Guinea. Scale bar = 0.1mm.

Fig. 34. Curidia ramonae, new species, unknown sex, 1.0mm, AM P64449, Dam Awan, Papua New Guinea. Scale bar = 0.1mm.