Dulzura taylorae, Springthorpe & Lowry, 2009

Springthorpe, R. T. & Lowry, J. K., 2009, Hadziidae *, Zootaxa 2260 (1), pp. 434-439 : 435-438

Dulzura taylorae sp. nov.

( Figs 1 , 2 )

Type material. Holotype, male, 2.1 mm, AM P77595, Mermaid Cove , Lizard Island (14°38.90'S 145°27.26’E), swash/subtidal, protected beach with patch reefs offshore, coarse coral sand with pieces of coral, 0.5–1.0 m, S.E. LeCroy, 2 July 2001 (SEL/LZI-1-1) . Paratypes: female, 2.7 mm, AM P77596 , 4 females, AMP 77597, same locality .

Additional material examined. 1 male, 4 females, AMP 77598 (QLD 20) ; 1 female, AM P70881 (QLD 1700) ; 1 female, AM P71347 (QLD 1793) .

Type locality. Mermaid Cove , Lizard Island (14°38.90'S 145°27.26’E) .

Etymology. Named for Taylor Springthorpe, the first author’s lovely daughter.

Description. Based on holotype, male, 2.1 mm, AM P77595, paratype, female, 2.7 mm, AM P77596.

Head. Head eyes poorly developed, round; anteroventral margin with very small ventral notch, anteroventral corner rounded. Antenna 1 longer than antenna 2; peduncular article 1 slightly longer than article 2, with 1 robust seta on posterior margin; peduncular article 2 longer than article 3; accessory flagellum minute, with 2 articles. Antenna 2 not strongly setose; peduncular article 2 cone gland not reaching to end of peduncular article 3; peduncular article 4 slightly longer than article 5; flagellum with about 6 articles. Mandible molar medium size, accessory setal row present, 5 well developed serrate setae; palp well developed, 3-articulate; article 1 about as long as broad, shorter than article 2, inner margin produced distally; article 2 subequal in length to article 3; article 3 sparsely setose, rectolinear. Maxilla 1 inner plate subtriangular, setae along entire inner margin. Maxilla 2 inner plate with oblique setal row on inner face, with marginal setal row. Lower lip inner lobes absent. Maxilliped palp article 3, about as long as broad with patch of small dense setae.

Pereon. Gnathopod 1 subchelate, sexually dimorphic; coxa anteroventral corner not produced, anterior margin straight, not produced, posteroventral corner notch absent; merus without posterodistal tooth; carpus about 2 x as long as broad, longer than propodus, heavily setose laterally; palm nearly transverse, straight, entire, defined by posterodistal corner, with posterodistal robust setae; dactylus well developed, fitting palm. Gnathopod 2 subchelate, sexually dimorphic, slightly enlarged in male and female; coxa posteroventral corner notch absent; merus acutely produced distoventrally; carpus short, not lobate, not enclosed by merus and propodus; propodus linear, with strong concentration of setae, palm extremely acute, straight or slightly concave, minutely sculptured, with sparse robust setae, without teeth along margin, without posteroventral corner, with 2 posterodistal robust setae; dactylus closing along palm, reaching end of palm, inner margin smooth, apically acute/subacute. Pereopod 3 coxa subequal in length to coxa 2. Pereopod 4 coxa posteroventral lobe absent, posterior margin straight. Pereopod 5 basis slightly expanded, posterior margin straight, posteroventral corner narrowly rounded or subquadrate; carpus and propodus with few long, slender setae along anterior margin. Pereopod 6 coxa anterior lobe slightly produced, rounded; basis posterior margin straight, posteroventral corner narrowly rounded or subquadrate; carpus and propodus with few long, slender setae along anterior margin. Pereopod 7 coxa anterior lobe slightly produced, rounded; basis sexually dimorphic, posterior margin slightly convex, smooth or minutely castelloserrate, not produced posterodistally, posteroventral corner narrowly rounded or subquadrate; merus posterodistal margin narrowly rounded or subquadrate; propodus not expanded posterodistally.

Pleon. Pleonites/urosomites without dorsal spines or setae. Epimera 1–2 posteroventral margin without spines above posteroventral corner. Epimeron 1 anteroventral corner rounded, without robust seta, posteroventral corner with small acute spine. Epimeron 2 posteroventral corner acute. Epimeron 3 ventral margin smooth, posteroventral corner with small acute spine. Uropod 1 peduncle with basofacial robust seta, without distoventral spine; outer ramus slightly longer than inner. Uropod 2 peduncle with distolateral comb of short setae; rami slender, outer ramus slightly longer than inner. Uropod 3 inner ramus short, about 0.5 x outer ramus; outer ramus very long, much longer than peduncle, 2-articulate, article 2 long. Telson cleft, slightly longer than broad, tapering distally, without dorsal robust setae, apical margins concave, with 2 short apical/subapical robust setae, with robust setae on outer margins, without robust setae on inner margins.

Female (sexually dimorphic characters). Based on female, 2.7 mm, AM P77596 Gnathopod 1 carpus sparsely setose laterally. Gnathopod 2 carpus long, subequal to propodus; propodus sparsely setose posteriorly. Pereopod 7 basis expanded, posterior margin strongly convex, tapering distally.

Habitat. Among coarse coral sand with pieces of coral on protected beaches, and sub-tidally among coral rubble and sediments, 2 – 10 m.

Remarks. Dulzura taylorae appears to be most similar to D. paucispinosa Ledoyer, 1983 , from the Glorieuses Islands in the south-western Indian Ocean. The main differences between these species appear to be the peduncle of uropod 1 which has a basofacial robust seta in D. taylorae (absent in D. paucispinosa ) and the posteroventral corner of epimeron 3 which forms a small acute spine in D. taylorae , but is apparently sexually dimorphic in D. paucispinosa (forming a large acute spine in the female and a narrowly rounded corner with a small acute spine just above it in the male).

Dulzura taylorae is also similar to D. melitaformis ( Ledoyer, 1979) from Madagascar. However, in D. taylorae there is no distal palmar shelf on the propodus of male gnathopod 2 (present in D. melitaformis ), pereopods 5 – 6 are slender (broad in D. melitaformis ), the inner ramus of uropod 3 is half as long as the outer (scale-like in D. melitaformis ) and the outer ramus is shorter and stouter. The long, narrow outer ramus of D. melitaformis is unique in the genus.

Dulzura taylorae differs from the Hawaiian species D. hamakua (J.L. Barnard, 1970) in having no dorsal robust setae on the urosome (present in D. hamakua ) and in the posteroventral corner of epimeron 3 which forms a small acute spine (rounded in D. hamakua ).

Distribution. Australia. Lizard Island: Mermaid Cove; reef between Bird Islet & South Island; Yonge Reef (current study).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Dulzura taylorae sp. nov., holotype, male, 2.1 mm, AM P77595, Mermaid Cove, Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef.

FIGURE 2. Dulzura taylorae sp. nov., holotype, male, 2.1 mm, AM P77595, paratype female, 2.7 mm, AM P77596, Mermaid Cove, Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef.