Macarorchestia microphtalma (Amanieu & Salvat, 1963) Amanieu & Salvat, 1963

Wildish, David J., 2014, New genus and two new species of driftwood hoppers (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Talitridae) from northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean coastal regions, Zoosystematics and Evolution 90 (2), pp. 133-146 : 135-136

Taxon classification Animalia Amphipoda Talitridae

Macarorchestia microphtalma (Amanieu & Salvat, 1963) comb. n.

Macarorchestia microphtalma : Amanieu and Salvat 1963: 390; Pavesi et al. 2014, as Orchestia microphtalma

Material examined.

Male holotype (No. 5-1963) and paratypes in the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris. Collected in 1962 by Mr. C. Caussanel from Cap Ferret Point near Arcachon on the Atlantic coast of France. Paratypes also in L’Institut de Biologie Marine at Arcachon. Collection by DJW in the type locality on 11th September 1967 and deposited in the Natural History Museum, London (BMNH 1967 10.6.1-75).

Diagnosis.

Macarorchestia microphtalma is distinguished from Macarorchestia remyi and Macarorchestia pavesiae sp. n., by:

- Sexually dimorphic tufts of long, slender, simple setae from the propodus of peraeopod P7, with no tuft at anterodistal position and 4 tufts on the posterior side of the propodus in males, versus a tuft at anterodistal position and 3 tufts on the posterior side of the propodus in males of Macarorchestia remyi and Macarorchestia pavesiae sp. n. (Fig. 3),

- its larger size, and

- lack of sexual dimorphism in pleopod and second antennal characters. Pleopod sexual dimorphism was discovered by Wildish et al. (2012) in Macarorchestia remyi where males grew at the same rate as juveniles throughout life, whereas females grew at a slower rate. A2 flagellum article sexual dimorphism was present in Macarorchestia pavesiae sp. n., where adult females grew at a slower rate than juveniles and males ( Wildish et al. 2012).

Distribution.

Known from the

Type locality.

and 3 other locations further south on the French Atlantic coast ( Lagardere 1966).

Epidermal pigment patterns.

Absent.

Remarks The largest species of Macarorchestia .