Apolochus pillaii ( Barnard & Thomas, 1983 )

Dugger, Abigail R. & White, Kristine N., 2025, Caribbean Amphipoda (Crustacea) of Panama. Part V: parvorder Amphilochidira, ZooKeys 1259, pp. 57-102 : 57-102

Apolochus pillaii ( Barnard & Thomas, 1983)

Figs 5 , 22 C

Amphilochus pillaii Barnard & Thomas, 1983: 179–187, figs 1–3.

Apolochus pillaii : Hoover and Bousfield 2001: 15; LeCroy 2002: 230, fig. 239.

Material examined.

Panama • 1.3 mm • 1 ♀; Bocas del Toro, Swan Caye ; 9.4536°N, 82.3000°W; depth 2 m; among coral rubble; 24 June 2023; K. N. White leg.; USNM 1762916 .

Diagnosis.

Head anteroventral margin subquadrate. Antenna 1 shorter than peduncle of antenna 2 with minute uni-articulate accessory flagellum. Gnathopod 2 carpal lobe clearly not reaching palmar angle; propodus with two anterolateral spines, lacking anterodistal projection, anterodistal margin acute. Pereopods 3 and 4 dactyli slender.

Distribution.

USA: Florida Keys ( Barnard and Thomas 1983); Belize ( Martín et al. 2013); Panama: Bocas del Toro (present study).

Ecology and remarks.

This species occurs among coral rubble at a depth of 2 m in Panama and is commensal on Pterogorgia anceps , the purple gorgonian in the Florida Keys ( Barnard and Thomas 1983). Panamanian specimens agree closely with the original description of this species with the exception of having two anterolateral spines on gnathopod 2 propodus (vs four), which may be due to the smaller size of the Panamanian specimen (1.3 vs 3.3 mm). Living specimens are translucent with tan coloration on anterior and posterior ends, white coloration on pereonites 3 and 4, brown spots on entire body, red stripes on antennae, and red eyes.

Figures

Figure 5. Apolochus pillaii, female, 1.3 mm, pereopod 3, gnathopod 2 lateral, head, gnathopod 1 lateral. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

Figure 22. Photographs of living specimens unless noted. A. Apolochus dragensis sp. nov.; B. Apolochus pillaii; C. Apolochus cf. picadurus (ethanol-preserved specimen); D. Seba cf. tropica (ethanol-preserved specimen); E. Stenothoe gallensis; F. Stenothoe minuta; G. Stenothoe valida (ethanol-preserved specimen). Scale bars: 1.0 mm.