Munidopsis karukera, Macpherson, Enrique, Beuck, Lydia & Freiwald, Andrè, 2016

Macpherson, Enrique, Beuck, Lydia & Freiwald, Andrè, 2016, Some species of Munidopsis from the Gulf of Mexico, Florida Straits and Caribbean Sea (Decapoda: Munidopsidae), with the description of two new species, Zootaxa 4137 (3), pp. 405-416 : 406-409

Munidopsis karukera n. sp.

( Fig. 2 )

Material examined. Holotype: SMF 49253, male 5.6 mm, NW Guadeloupe (Caribbean Sea), 16°32.4702'N 62°01.1898'W to 16°31.2198’N 62°01.62’W, 808–1162 m, RV ‘Sonne’, Station SO 154-24, dredge/chain bag, 21 January 2001.

Etymology. Karukera (the island of beautiful waters) is the old Arawak name of the type locality ( Guadeloupe Island). The name is considered as a substantive in apposition.

Description. Carapace: 1.4 times longer than broad; dorsal surface moderately convex from side to side, smooth, with some short striae, more numerous on branchial regions, with few short setae; unarmed except for pair of well-developed epigastric spines. Regions well delineated by furrows including distinct anterior and posterior cervical grooves. Posterior cardiac region weakly triangular, preceded by deep transverse depression. Posterior margin preceded by elevated ridge. Rostrum narrowly triangular, nearly horizontal, terminating in acute tip, length 0.2 times that of remaining carapace; dorsal surface smooth, convex from side to side, without longitudinal ridge; lateral margins carinated and straight. Frontal margin slightly oblique behind ocular peduncle, leading to antennal (outer orbital) spine, then concave toward anterolateral corner of carapace. Antennal spine strong, directed straight forward; distinct spine ventral to front margin between ocular and antennal peduncles. Lateral margins weakly convex and subparallel; anterolateral spine well developed but smaller than antennal spine; anterior end of anterior branch of cervical groove with distinct notch followed by distinct spine situated at anterior end of branchial margin; posterior cervical groove with narrow notch, followed by moderate spine directly posterior to it. Pterygostomian flap smooth, with short striae, anteriorly unarmed.

Sternum: Longer than broad, maximum width at sternites 6 and 7. Sternite 3 moderately broad, 3 times wider than long, anterior margin with shallow median notch flanked by 2 low lobes, lateral margin somewhat angular. Sternite 4 narrowly elongate anteriorly; surface depressed in midline, smooth; greatest width twice that of sternite 3, and twice wider than long.

Abdomen: Smooth, unarmed, with some long and thick uniramous setae; tergites 2–3 each with elevated transverse ridge, but tergites 4–6 smooth; tergite 6 with transverse posteromedian margin. Telson composed of 10 plates; posterior plates combined 1.8 times as wide as long.

Eye: Ocular peduncle immobile; cornea subglobular, unarmed, as wide as eyestalk.

Antennule: Article 1 with strong distolateral spine, distomesial angle unarmed, minutely serrated; lateral margin swollen, unarmed.

Antenna: Antennal peduncle reaching end of rostrum; article 1 with small distomesial and distolateral spines, clearly not reaching midlength of article 2; article 2 with short distolateral spine, unarmed on distomesial angle; articles 3 and 4 unarmed.

Mxp3: Ischium as long as merus measured on extensor margin; flexor margin sharply ridged, terminating in small spine; extensor margin unarmed; crista dentata finely denticulate; merus having flexor margin with 4 spines, distal 2 small, proximal 2 larger, extensor margin with small distal spine; carpus, propodus and dactylus unarmed.

P1: 2.6 times longer than carapace, sparsely covered with short striae and small granules, and uniramous setae scattered on merus to dactylus. Merus triangular in cross section, with 4 distal spines (ventral, lateral, mesial, and dorsal). Carpus 2.7 times longer than high, with 4 or 5 distal spines (ventral, lateral, mesial and dorsal). Palm slender, as long as carpus, 2.6 times as long as high, and 1.1 times as long as fingers. Fingers not gaping; prehensile edges each with row of subtriangular teeth, proximal teeth obsolete; fixed finger without denticulate carina on distolateral margin.

P2–3 (P4 missing): Moderately slender, with few small granules and short striae on dorsal surface, somewhat compressed laterally, P2 slightly longer than P3, not exceeding end of P1; ischium to propodus with few setae; dactylus with short setae. P2 merus elongate, 0.8 times carapace length, 2.7 times length of P2 carpus and 1.1 times length of P2 propodus. P2–3 meri with distal spine on each of dorsal and ventral margins; carpi with prominent distal spine, lateral side smooth; P2–3 propodi 7.5–8.5 times as long as high, unarmed except for 3 corneous spines on flexor margin; dactyli 0.6–0.7 length of propodi; distal claw short, moderately curved; flexor margin nearly straight, with 8 or 9 small teeth decreasing in size proximally, each with slender corneous spine, ultimate tooth closer to penultimate tooth than to dactylar tip.

Epipods absent from pereopods.

Colour in life. Unknown.

Remarks. Munidopsis karukera belongs to the group of species with the carapace unarmed (except pair of epigastric spines), abdomen smooth, rostrum short and narrowly triangular, P1 longer than P2, eye with immobile ocular peduncle, and cornea subglobular and unarmed. This group includes some small-sized species, e.g., M. maunga Schnabel & Bruce, 2006 , from the caldera of Macauley volcano within the Kermadec volcanic arc (north of New Zealand), M. ariadne Macpherson, 2011 , from the eastern Mediterranean Sea, M. polymorpha Koelbel, 1892 from a shallow anchialine cave in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, M. talismani A. Milne-Edwards and Bouvier, 1894 , from north-west Africa. The closest species is M. ariadne Macpherson, 2011 , from the eastern Mediterranean Sea (Macpherson 2011).

Munidopsis ariadne can be easily distinguished from M. karukera by the following features: the rostrum is dorsally carinated longitudinally instead of being smooth and not carinated in the new species; the abdominal tergites 2–3 each bear two transverse ridges instead of one anterior transverse ridge only; the P1 merus bears four distal spines only instead of bearing additional row of dorsal spines and a strong mesial spine somewhat distal to midlength.

Distribution. Presently known only from Caribbean Sea, 808–1162 m depth.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Munidopsis karukera n. sp., holotype, male 5.6 mm (SMF 49253). A, carapace and abdomen, dorsal view. B, carapace and abdomen, left lateral view. C, telson. D, sternal plastron. E, left antenna and antennule, ventral view. F, right Mxp 3. G, right P 1, merus and carpus. H, right P 1, palm and fingers. I, left P 2. J, left P 2 dactylus. K, left P 3. Scale: A – D = 2. 0 mm; G, H, K, I = 1 m; E – F, J = 0.5 mm.