Leucothoe hipposideros, White & Thomas, 2009

White, Kristine N. & Thomas, James Darwin, 2009, Leucothoidae *, Zootaxa 2260 (1), pp. 494-555 : 511-515

Leucothoe hipposideros sp. nov.

( Figs 11 , 12 )

Type material. Holotype, male, 3.2 mm, AM P 71233, Horseshoe Reef , Lizard Island (14°41.21'S 145°26.49'E), coral rubble, large coral bommies surrounded by sand and rubble, 11 m, C. Serejo, 2 March 2005 ( QLD 1768 ) . Paratype, male, 2.5 mm, AM P 79805, Picnic Beach , Palfrey Island , Lizard Island (14°41.70'S 145°26.92'E), subtidal, patch reef, rubble with sand bottom, 2 m, S. E. LeCroy, 3 July 2001 ( QLD SEL /LZI-2-1) . Paratype, female, 2.0 mm, AM P 79806, same station data as male paratype .

Additional material examined. 1 male, AM P 79807 ( SEL /LZI-2-3) .

Type locality. Horseshoe Reef , Lizard Island, Queensland, Australia (14°41.21'S 145°26.49'E) .

Etymology. After the Greek ‘ hipposideros ’, meaning ‘horseshoe’ and referring to the type locality.

Description. Based on holotype, male, 3.2 mm, AM P71233.

Head. Head length less than pereonite 1+2, anterior margin rounded, anterodistal margin rounded without cusp, ventral cephalic keel with small projection, rostrum small to medium; eyes with 10 or more ocelli, round. Antenna 1 0.3 x body length; flagellum 3-articulate, peduncle width less than 2 x article 2. Antenna 2 0.2 x body length, shorter than antenna 1; flagellum 3-articulate. Mandibles lacking molars, palp 3-articulate, ratio of articles 1 – 3, 1.0:2.2:1.4, article 2 with 2 distal setae, article 3 with 2 distal setae, incisors strongly dentate; left mandible lacinia mobilis large, strongly toothed, with 8 accessory setae; right mandible lacinia mobilis small, with 8 accessory setae. Upper lip asymmetrically lobate, anterior margin setose. Lower lip inner lobes fused, bare; outer lobes with moderate gape, anterior margins weakly setose. Maxilla 1 palp 1- articulate with 4 distal setae; outer plate with 5 distal spines and 2 distal setae. Maxilla 2 inner plate with 5 distal setae; outer plate with 2 robust setae and 10 – 11 thin distal setae. Maxilliped inner plates fused, distal margin with v-shaped indentation, with short spines and long setae; outer plate serrate, reduced, reaching less than half of palp article 1, with 6 distal setae and 1 distal spine; palp 4-articulate, article 4 slender, very slightly curved.

Pereon. Coxae 1–4 relative widths 1.0:1.1:1.1:1.5. Gnathopod 1 coxa serrate, setose, anterodistal corner produced, broadly rounded, distal margin straight, posterodistal margin rounded, facial setae absent; basis slightly constricted proximally, anterior and posterior margins bare; ischium bare; carpus and propodus distally tapered; carpus length 7.5 x width, proximal margin with denticles, distal margin bare; propodus straight, palm dentate with 7 – 9 distal setae and 7 – 9 large triangular teeth; dactylus with medial notch, reaching 0.1 x propodus length. Gnathopod 2 coxa length 0.9 x width, subequal to coxa 3, smooth, bare, anterodistally rounded, distal margin evenly rounded, posterior margin straight, facial setae absent; basis slightly widened distally, without tubercles or serrations, anterior margin with 1–5 setae, posterior margin with 1–4 setae; ischium with 1 posterior and 1 distal seta; carpus 0.3 x propodus length, recurved, distally tapered, anterior margin serrate; propodus with 1 mediofacial setal row above midline, reaching 0.6 x propodus length, 2 rows of submarginal setae, palm convex with 6 minor projections, dactylus recurved, proximal margin smooth, anterior margin distally subacute, reaching 0.8 x propodus length. Pereopod 3 coxa length 1.4 x width, anterodistal corner over-riding distal face of coxa 2 and extending below it, smooth, bare, anterior margin subquadrate, distal margin straight, posterior margin straight, facial setae absent. Pereopod 4 coxa smooth, bare, anterior margin rounded, distal margin evenly rounded, posterior margin weakly excavate, facial setae absent. Pereopods 5–7 coxa facial setae absent; basis width length ratios 1:1.3, 1:1.4, 1:1.3, posterior margins serrate, setose.

Pleon. Epimera 1+3 bare. Epimeron 2 with 2 – 3 ventral setae. Epimeron 3 posteroventral margin narrowly rounded. Uropods 1–3 relative lengths 1.0:0.8:1.2. Uropod 1 peduncle 0.8 x inner ramus length. Uropod 2 peduncle and outer ramus 0.6 x inner ramus length; inner ramus bare, outer ramus with 1 robust seta. Uropod 3 peduncle and inner ramus subequal in length. Uropod 1+3 outer and inner ramus subequal in length; inner and outer ramus lined with short marginal setae, with robust setae. Telson 2.2 x longer than wide, apex tridentate.

Female (sexually dimorphic characters). Based on paratype, female, 2.0 mm, AM P79806. Gnathopod 1 propodus palm with 6 teeth. Gnathopod 2 propodus palm with less prominent projections, fewer mediofacial setae; carpus anterior margin smooth.

Habitat. In coral rubble surrounding large coral bommies.

Remarks. Leucothoe hipposideros sp. nov. shares its uni-articulate maxilla 1 palp with Leucothoe laevipalma sp. nov., Leucothoe odontiskos sp. nov., Leucothoe pollexa sp. nov., Leucothoe sparsa sp. nov., L. thula sp. nov. and L. undulata sp. nov. This character has not been found in any described Leucothoe to date, although an “indistinct suture” in the maxilla 1 palp has been reported in L. assimilis , L. basilobata , L. cheiriserra and L. urospinosa . Leucothoe hipposideros shares its serrate maxilliped outer plate with L. basilobata , L. cheiriserra ., L. ctenochasma , Leucothoe laurensi Thomas, 1995 , Leucothoe orkneyi Holman & Watling, 1983 , Leucothoe squalidens Ledoyer, 1984 a , L. laevipalma , L. odontiskos , L. serrata sp. nov. and L. undulata . The gnathopod 1 propodus shape and triangular teeth are similar to L. cheiriserra and Leucothoe gavialis Myers, 1985 c . Leucothoe hipposideros . resembles L. cheiriserra in its serrate posterior margins on the basis of pereopods 5 – 7, but differs in its thin gnathopod 1 carpus and propodus, dentate gnathopod 1 carpus, gnathopod 1 dactylus notch, long gnathopod 2 mediofacial setal row, square coxa 3, longer uropod 1 and tridentate telson.

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

Figures

FIGURE 11. Leucothoe hipposideros sp. nov., holotype, male, 3.2 mm, AM P71233 (QLD 1768), Horseshoe Reef, Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef.

FIGURE 12. Leucothoe hipposideros sp. nov., holotype, male, 3.2 mm, AM P71233 (QLD 1768), Horseshoe Reef, Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef.