Natatolana matong Bruce, 1986

Keable, Stephen J., 2006, Taxonomic Revision of Natatolana (Crustacea: Isopoda: Cirolanidae), Records of the Australian Museum 58 (2), pp. 133-244 : 200-201

Natatolana matong Bruce, 1986

Natatolana matong Bruce, 1986: 93 , figs. 62, 63.–Springthorpe & Lowry, 1994: 52.– Brusca et al., 1995: 80.– Bruce et al., 2002: 151.

Cirolana rossi .– Hale, 1952: 24 [mis-identification, not Natatolana rossi (Miers, 1876) ].

Type material. Holotype: 3, TM G2543 (not examined) . Paratypes: TM G2193 ; NMV J920 , J1733 ; SAMA C3277 , C3921 ; USNM 109986; BMNH (not examined); AM P33546 (examined). Type locality: off King Island , northwest Tasmania, Australia, c. 40°00'S 144°00'E .

Material examined. New South Wales: series from off Wollongong : 6, AM P46924, 34°32.02'S 151°13.00'E, 200 m, 6– 7 May 1993 , SEAS NSW-780; 5, AM P44415, 34°33.01'S

151°16.54'E, 400 m, 7–8 May 1993, SEAS NSW-803. Tasmania: 9, AM P47453, east of Fortescue Bay , 43°09.37'S 145°13.6'E, baited trap, 300 m, 16–17 April 1993, SEAS TAS-361.

Diagnosis. Eyes: well developed; elongate, length c. 2× height. Interocular furrow: well developed, extending across the cephalon (the feeble trace of a furrow that curves anteriorly from the point of termination of the distinct furrow, described by Bruce (1986), appears in the paratype material to be equivalent to the complete interocular furrow of other taxa examined [e.g., N. rossi ]); produced medially. Frontal lamina: lateral margins medially constricted. Antenna: c. 0.33× as long as body, reaching to just beyond the posterior of pereonite 3. Coxal plates: furrows variously developed, coxae 2–3 with faint but complete furrows, coxa 4 with a faint partial furrow, coxae 5–6 without furrows and coxa 7 with a feeble trace of a furrow (on some specimens examined (AM P46924) nearly complete coxal furrows are present on all coxae). Pleonite 4: apex forming a narrow acute point. Pleotelson: broad, length 0.76× basal width; anterodorsal depression absent; anterolateral margins almost straight and angling posteriorly toward the midline; posterolateral margins straight, markedly angled to anterolateral margins and meeting at an acute or obtuse angle (angle about 90°); apex not produced, lateral margins converging smoothly to a point; with 12 RS. Pereopod 2: propodus with 3 RS on palm. Pereopod 3: propodus with 3 RS on palm. Pereopod 7: basis of medium breadth, width 0.5× length; distance between anterior margin and medial carina less than between posterior margin and medial carina; posterior margin with setae completely absent along entire length. Penes: absent. Pleopod 2 appendix masculina: extending subequal with tip of endopod; margins straight; slender; apex not at angle to adjacent margins, bluntly rounded. Uropods: exopod subequal to endopod, 0.9× the length of the endopod.

Size. Adults to c. 40 mm.

Remarks. Natatolana matong is extremely similar to N. rossi . The development of the interocular and coxal furrows does not reliably separate the two species as suggested by Bruce (1986). The shape of pleonite 4, however, is consistently different between the two species, N. rossi having a more sinuate posterodorsal margin. Natatolana hirtipes is also similar but has a smoothly convex interocular furrow (sinuate in N. matong ), a broader basis of pereopod 7 and pleonite 4 with a more strongly sinuate posterodorsal margin.

Distribution and ecology. Australia:of f Wollongong, New South Wales; off east and northwest Tasmania At depths of 155– 400 m. Scavenger.