Notorchestia quadrimana ( Dana, 1852 )

Lowry, J. K., 2012, Talitrid amphipods from ocean beaches along the New South Wales coast of Australia (Amphipoda, Talitridae), Zootaxa 3575, pp. 1-26 : 7-13

Notorchestia quadrimana ( Dana, 1852)

( Figs 4–7)

Orchestia quadrimana Dana, 1852: 204 .— Dana, 1853: 879, pl. 59, fig. 7.— Stebbing, 1906: 548.

? Orchestia quadrimana .— Haswell, 1879: 248, pl. 7, fig. 3a–e.— Haswell, 1880: 100, pl. 6, fig. 1.

Talorchestia novaehollandiae Stebbing, 1899: 399 , pl. 31a.— Stebbing, 1906: 553.— Stebbing, 1910: 646.— Hale, 1929: 291.— Stephensen, 1935: 10.— Sheard, 1937: 25.— Lowry & Stoddart, 2003: 276.

Talorchestia quadrimana .— Stebbing, 1910: 645.— Stephensen, 1935: 10.— Sheard, 1937: 25.— Lowry & Stoddart, 2003: 275.— Lowry & Springthorpe, 2009: 904.

Notorchestia novaehollandiae .— Serejo & Lowry, 2008: 175.— Lowry & Springthorpe, 2009: 901.

Notorchestia lobata Serejo & Lowry, 2008: 180 , figs 13–16.

Types. Neotype, male, 11 mm, AM P.88134, Portuguese Bay, Pittwater , New South Wales (33°36.656'S

151°18.096'E), L. Fanini & J.K. Lowry, November 2011.

Additional material examined. New South Wales. 17 specimens, AM P.87944, Maitland Bay , New South Wales (33°31.512'S 151°23.780'E), L. Fanini & J.K. Lowry, November 2011; 1 female, 10.5 mm, AM P.88133, 1 juvenile male, 8 mm, AM P.88132, 124 specimens, AM P.87945, Portuguese Bay , New South Wales (33°36.656'S 151°18.096'E), L. Fanini & J.K. Lowry, November 2011; 2 specimens, 10 mm, AM P.3411, Manly Beach; 5 specimens, AM P.53960, Thirroul , New South Wales, Australia (34°19’S 150°55’E), ( NSW1920 ); 23 specimens, AM P.87946, Bellambi Beach , New South Wales (34°22.30'S 150°55.689'E), L. Fanini & J.K. Lowry, November 2011; 96 specimens, AM P.85881, Culburra Beach , New South Wales, Australia (34°55'59"S 150°46'23"E), under the brown alga Cystophora in the upper intertidal, J.K. Lowry & A. Lodge, 30 April 2011 (MI NSW 3691); 34 specimens, AM P.85879, Pebbly Beach , Murramarang National Park , New South Wales, Australia (35°36'37"S 150°19'36"E), under the brown alga Cystophora in the upper intertidal, J.K. Lowry & A. Lodge, 30 April 2011 (MI NSW 3689); 1 female (dissected), AM P.87942; 18 specimens, AM P.87943; male (dissected) AM P.87941, North Head beach , New South Wales, Australia (35°42'55"S 150°16'04"E), burrowed into wet sand about 2.5 cm below dry sand, about high water mark, on beach with no beach wrack, 27 September 1987, S. Keable; many specimens (males and females), AM P.85853, South Moruya Head , New South Wales, Australia (35°54.87’S 150°09.42’E), exposed beach, under weed on sand, 22 September 2002, J.K. Lowry, R. Peart, M. Miller & J. Peart ( NSW 1982 ); many specimens (males and females), male, 12 mm (illustrated), female, 10 mm (illustrated), AM P.85852, North Kianga Beach , north of Narooma , New South Wales, Australia (36°12.65’S 150°07.73’E), exposed beach on sand under weed (mainly Cystophora sp. ), 22 September 2002, M. Miller, J.K. Lowry, R. Peart, & J. Peart ( NSW 1981 ); 40 specimens, AM P.86723, 28 specimens, AM P.86724, southern end of Monument Beach , near north Bendalong , New South Wales (35°13'51"S 150°31'50"E), under wrack just above high tide mark, A. Hegedus, 23 August 2011; 58 specimens, AM P.86725, 34 specimens, AM P.86726, southern end of Flatrock Beach near rocks, near Bendalong , New South Wales (35°14'7"S 150°31'48"E), under wrack just above high tide mark, A. Hegedus, 23 August 2011; 8 specimens, AM P.86722, north end of Bendalong Beach , New South Wales (35°14'41"S 150°32'13"E), under wrack just above high tide mark, A. Hegedus, 23 August 2011; 1 specimen, AM P.85860, 1 specimen, AM P.85861, north end of Mollymook Beach , Mollymook , New South Wales, Australia (35°28’S 150°29’E), on sand under debris, protected beach, A. Murray & R. T. Springthorpe, 4 May 1997; many specimens (females and males), AM P.85854, Racecourse Beach , Ulladulla , New South Wales, Australia (35°22.65’S 150°28.02’E), under Cystophora sp. on sand, 22 September 2002, J.K. Lowry, R. Peart, M. Miller & J. Peart ( NSW 1984 ); many specimens (males and females), AM P.85859, Wagonga Inlet , Narooma , New South Wales, Australia (36°12.65’S 150°07.73’E), protected beach on sand under debris, 22 September 2002, J.K. Lowry, R. Peart, M. Miller & J. Peart ( NSW 1980 ); 50 specimens, AM P.85878, Surf Beach , Narooma , New South Wales (36°13’36”S 150°8’22”E), 0815, under Cystophora in supralittoral zone, J.K. Lowry & A. Lodge, 30 April 2011 (MI NSW 3688) .

Victoria. Male, 11 mm, AM P.85855, female, 9 mm, AM P.85856, 7 specimens (females and males), AM P.85857, near boat ramp, Betka Beach, Mallacoota, Victoria, Australia (37°34.36’S 149°45.73’E), under weed on sand, 21 September 2002, J.K. Lowry, R . Peart, M. Miller & J. Peart ( VIC 119 ); many specimens (females and males), AM P.85858, inlet lagoon near beach, Tathra, New South Wales, Australia (36°42.30’S 149°58.85’E), 21 September 2002, J.K. Lowry, R . Peart, M. Miller & J. Peart ( NSW 1979 ) .

Type locality. Portuguese Beach , Pittwater, New South Wales, Australia (33°36.656'S 151°18.096'E), burrowed into wet sand .

Description. Based on neotype, male, 11 mm in length, AM P.88134.

Head. Eye medium (1/5–1/3 head length). Antenna 1 short, rarely longer than article 4 of antenna 2 peduncle. Antenna 2 shorter than head and first 3 pereonites; peduncular articles narrow; peduncular articles with many large robust setae. Mandible left lacinia mobilis 4-dentate. Maxilliped palp article 2 distomedial lobe well developed, article 4 small, button-shaped.

Pereon. Gnathopod 1 sexually dimorphic; subchelate; coxa smaller than coxa 2, subtriangular, about as broad as deep; posterior margin of carpus and propodus each with lobe covered in palmate setae; propodus subtriangular with well developed posterodistal lobe; palm transverse; dactylus shorter than palm. Gnathopod 2 sexually dimorphic; subchelate; coxa similar in size to coxa 3, about as broad as deep; coxal gill processiferous; basis slender; posterior margin of merus, carpus and propodus each without lobe covered in palmate setae; carpus triangular, reduced (enclosed by merus and propodus), posterior lobe absent, not projecting between merus and propodus; propodus palm acute, strongly toothed, incised or sinuous, without protuberance near dactylar hinge, with large midpalmar sinus; dactylus subequal in length to palm; gill lobate or convoluted, not incised. Pereopods 2–4 coxae deeper than wide. Pereopods 3–5 gills convoluted (slightly); smaller than gills 2 and 6. Pereopod 4 significantly shorter than pereopod 3; carpus significantly shorter than carpus of pereopod 3; dactylus thickened and pinched posteriorly (different to pereopod 3 dactylus). Pereopod 5 propodus distinctly longer than carpus. Pereopod 6 shorter than pereopod 7; posterior lobe inner view posteroventral corner rounded, posterior lobe with ridge, posterior lobe with 5 or more marginal setae; coxal gill simple. Pereopod 7 posterodistal lobe absent; distal articles (merus and carpus) slender; merus posterior margin evenly rounded.

Pleon. Pleopods all well developed. Pleopod 1 peduncle with marginal robust setae; biramous, outer ramus subequal in length to peduncle; inner ramus with 11 articles; outer ramus with 13 articles. Pleopod 2 peduncle with marginal slender setae; biramous, outer ramus subequal in length to peduncle; inner ramus with 11 articles; outer ramus with 14 articles. Pleopod 3 peduncle with marginal slender setae; biramous, outer ramus subequal in length to peduncle; inner ramus with 12 articles; outer ramus with 13 articles. Epimeron 2 subequal in length to epimeron 3. Epimeron 3 posterior margin smooth, without setae, posteroventral corner with small subacute tooth, ventral margin without robust setae. Uropod 1 not sexually dimorphic, peduncle with 14 robust setae, distolateral robust seta absent; inner ramus shorter than outer ramus, with 12 marginal robust setae; outer ramus with marginal robust setae, 5 robust setae on margins. Uropod 2 not sexually dimorphic; peduncle with 4 robust setae; inner ramus subequal in length to outer ramus, with 9 marginal robust setae; outer ramus with 2 marginal robust setae. Uropod 3 peduncle with 4 or 5 robust setae; ramus shorter than peduncle, ramus linear (narrowing distally), ramus with 8 marginal robust setae and with 4 or 5 apical setae. Telson longer than broad, incised to at least half the length, with marginal and apical robust setae, with more than 10 robust setae.

Male juvenile, 8 mm, AM P.88132. Gnathopod 1 propodus palm slightly obtuse; dactylus as long as palm. Gnathopod 2 merus with distally rounded posterodistal lobe on medial surface; propodus with posterodistal palmate lobe; palm transverse, straight.

Female (sexually dimorphic characters). Based on female, 10.5 mm, AM P.88133. Gnathopod 1 simple; posterior margin of merus, carpus and propodus each without lobe covered in palmate setae; propodus subrectangular. Gnathopod 2 mitten-shaped; basis strongly expanded; posterior margin of propodus with lobe covered in palmate setae; merus with conical posterodistal lobe on medial surface; carpus well developed (not enclosed by merus and propodus), posterior lobe absent; palm obtuse, smooth; dactylus shorter than palm; gill convoluted. Oostegites long (length greater than 2 × width), longer than wide, moderately setose or weakly setose, setae with simple smooth tips.

Habitat. Supralittoral sand beaches, burrows into wet sand about 2.5 cm below dry sand, not under beach wrack.

Remarks. Examination of all available material indicates that N. lobata Serejo & Lowry, 2008 , is synonymous with N. novaehollandiae ( Stebbing, 1899) and that both are synonyms of N. quadrimana ( Dana, 1852) . Because of the complex synonymy of N. quadrimana , I am establishing a neotype based on new collections from an abundant population in Pittwater, New South Wales.

Based on Dana (1852) ‘the first pair of caudal stylets have the outer branch naked above’, Serejo & Lowry (2008) considered that the O. quadrimana of Dana 1852 lacked marginal setae on the outer ramus of uropod 1. But this is not the case and the taxon is a good Notorchestia . The type locality of Dana (1852), ‘shores of the Illawarra’, is vague, but we now know that this species occurs throughout what is now known as the Illawarra. There is no extant type material. Serejo & Lowry (pers. obs.) found no talitrid amphipods at beaches in the Manly area (original type locality of N. novaehollandiae ( Stebbing, 1899)) , almost certainly due to lose of habitat caused by intense grooming of beaches for the pleasure of tourists and local humans. There is a sample of N. novaehollandiae in the AM collections (AM P.3411) from Manly Beach, originally registered in 1912.

The Pittwater population appears to differ from the N. lobata population in Encounter Bay, South Australian (studied by Serejo & Lowry 2008) by the telson which is clearly cleft. The Encounter Bay population also has a cleft telson but the lobes are not clearly separated and this gives a different impression. The Stebbing (1899) illustration of N. novaehollandiae is a little difficult to interpret, but Stebbing attests that the telson is cleft and it appears to be cleft like that of N. quadrimana from Pittwater. The telsons all have the same arrangement and number of robust setae and in my judgment all of these populations belong to the same species.

Distribution. New South Wales: Manly Beach ( Stebbing, 1899); North Head, North Kianga Beach;

Mollymook Beach; Wagonga Inlet, Narooma; Tathra; South Moruya Head; Racecourse Beach, Ulladulla; Batemans Bay and Durras (current study); Thirroul (current study). Victoria: Beike Beach, Mallacoota; Point Ricardo; Woodside Beach (between Sale and Yarram); Lorne Beach near mouth of Erskine River; Ocean Beach, Separation Creek; Peterborough Beach, Peterborough; Sandy Beach, The Craigs; Shelly Beach, Bridgewater Bay; Sandy Point ( Serejo & Lowry, 2008). South Australia: Beachport Beach, Rivoli Bay; Goolwa Beach and Victor Harbour, Encounter Bay; Yankalilla Bay, Fleurieu Peninsula ( Serejo & Lowry, 2008). Western Australia: Ocean Beach, Eucla; Fourth Beach, Esperance; West Beach, Hopetoun; Slippery Rock, Cape Leuwin; Binningup Beach, Bunbury; South Cottesloe Beach; Jurien Beach, Jurien; Disappointment Loop, Henri Freycinet Harbour, Shark Bay ( Serejo & Lowry 2008).