Epimeria (Pseudepimeria) kharieis, d’Acoz & Verheye, 2017

d’Acoz, Cédric d’Udekem & Verheye, Marie L., 2017, Epimeria of the Southern Ocean with notes on their relatives (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Eusiroidea), European Journal of Taxonomy 359, pp. 1-553 : 132-134

Epimeria (Pseudepimeria) kharieis sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:1B3DC61B-C54C-4D63-AAC6-29A5BD8807A7

Figs 283–290

Pseudepimeria grandirostris – Klages 1988: 74, 75, unnumbered fig., 78, fig. 16c.

Epimeria grandirostris – Coleman 2007: 38, in part, colour plate 2 fig. b only. — Rauschert & Arntz 2015: 61, 125, pl. 54 (adult and juvenile).

non Pseudepimeria grandirostris Chevreux, 1912: 216 .

Etymology

Derived from the Greek adjective χαρίεις, meaning graceful and beautiful, and Latinized herein as kharieis , - is, - e.

Type material

Holotype

RV Polarstern cruises:

SOUTHERN OCEAN: adult ♀, cruise PS48, ANT-XV/3, EASIZ II, stn 77 (AGT 7), eastern Weddell Sea , 71°08.6ʹ S, 12°26.6ʹ W to 71°10.2ʹ S, 12°30.7ʹ W, 330–433 m, Agassiz trawl, 2 Feb. 1998, coll. C. De Broyer and Y. Scailteur ( RBINS, INV. 132937 ).

Paratypes

RV Polarstern cruises:

SOUTHERN OCEAN: 1 fairly large spec., cruise PS14, ANT-VII/4, EPOS leg 3, stn 281, eastern Weddell Sea, 71°39.0ʹ S, 12°21.1ʹ W to 71°36.9ʹ S, 12°25.0ʹ W, 389–450 m, Agassiz trawl, 17 Jan. 1989, coll. C. De Broyer ( RBINS, INV. 132939); 1 spec., cruise PS48, ANT-XV/3, EASIZ II, stn 77 (AGT7), eastern Weddell Sea, 71°08.6ʹ S, 12°26.6ʹ W to 71°10.2ʹ S, 12°30.7ʹ W, 330–433 m, Agassiz trawl, 2 Feb. 1998, coll. C. De Broyer and Y. Scailteur ( RBINS, INV. 132938); 1 immature spec., cruise PS65, ANT-XXI/2, BENDEX, stn 144-1, eastern Weddell Sea, 70°57.02ʹ S, 10°48.43ʹ W to 70°56.98ʹ S, 10°48.04ʹ W, 401–407 m, 13 Dec. 2003, coll. C. De Broyer ( RBINS, INV. 132988).

Description

Description based on adult females.

ROSTRUM. Long, overreaching tip of peduncle of antenna 1; in lateral view, straight on proximal half, regularly curved on second half, forming a very obtuse angle with head, ventrally straight, tip not abruptly curving downwards; in frontal view, fairly broad, with weakly convex borders, with acute tip.

EYE. Medium-sized, conical.

PEREION–PLEOSOME TOOTH PATTERN. Pereionite 1 with low, broad, rounded mid-dorsal tooth pointing upwards of which the anterior border is distinctly oblique, with pair of well-developed, rounded, dorsolateral teeth and pair of small ventrolateral teeth; pereionite 2 much narrower than pereionites 1 and 3, with small elliptic tooth pointing upwards (as high as mid-dorsal tooth of pereionite 1 and distinctly shorter than mid-dorsal tooth of pereionite 3), with pair of very small dorsolateral teeth, and pair of small ventrolateral teeth; pereionites 3–7 with medium-sized, very broad and rounded mid-dorsal tooth of which the anterior and the posterior borders are both strongly convex, with pair of mediumsized, low and blunt dorsolateral teeth, and pair of small ventrolateral teeth; pleonites 1–2 with large and broad mid-dorsal tooth pointing upwards, of which the anterior border is strongly and regularly convex and the posterior border slightly less convex, and of which the tip is bluntly angulate, and with pair of large subacute dorsolateral teeth and 4 pairs of much smaller denticles; pleonite 3 with medium-sized, broad, triangular mid-dorsal tooth pointing upwards, of which the anterior border may have (holotype) a low obtuse angulate protrusion on proximal 0.6, of which the tip is subacute and the posterior border weakly sinuate, with 5 pairs of dorsolateral teeth.

COXAE 1–3. Strongly carinate and distally sharp.

COXA 4. Anterodorsal border nearly straight; anteroventral border with proximal very shallow concavity, with distal part distinctly convex; anterior angle very broadly rounded and slightly projecting forward; ventral tooth long, broad and subacute, directed backwards; lateral carina with very low rounded lobe slightly projecting laterally, in the holotype posteriorly followed by very shallow rounded concavity and small extremely low second lobe; in lateral view, inner corner of carina forming a distinct squared angle; in lateral view posteroventral border of coxa deeply concave; the concavity is rounded, not distinctly angulate.

COXA 5. In dorsal view, with low, triangular, carinate, lateral tooth, of which the anterior border is nearly parallel to body axis and the posterior border is obliquely pointing backwards; tip of carina blunt.

COXA 6. With triangular carinate lateral tooth, of which the anterior border (which is nearly straight, inconspicuously convex) points obliquely backwards; the posterior border is nearly perpendicular to body axis (character to be examined in dorsal view); tip of carina blunt.

COXA 7. With ventral + posterior borders forming a regular curve, with small lateral tooth.

EPIMERAL PLATES 1–3. Plate 1 with posteroventral angle angulate, with distinct lateral carina and 2 lateral teeth; plate 2 with posteroventral angle sharply angulate (forming a distinct sharp tooth), with distinct lateral carina and 2 lateral teeth; plate 3 with posteroventral angle produced into a fairly long tooth, with distinct lateral carina and 1 lateral tooth, with posterior margin weakly convex.

UROSOME TOOTH PATTERN. Urosomite 1 with sharp narrow tooth pointing upwards, more anteriorly with or without pair of low dorsolateral denticles; urosomite 2 with 2 pairs of posterior dorsolateral teeth pointing upwards; urosomite 3 with pair of mid-sized posterior dorsolateral teeth pointing upwards.

TELSON. Cleft on 0.30; tips of lobes blunt, notch forming a fairly narrow slit.

PEDUNCLE OF ANTENNA 1. Article 1 with anterior border weakly concave, with well-developed anterior and posterior tooth; article 2 with medium-sized lateral triangular tooth; article 3 with weak ventral tooth.

GNATHOPODS 1–2. Very small; gnathopod 1 incomplete in dissected specimen; gnathopod 2 achelate; carpus and propodus extremely narrow; dactylus of gnathopod 2 fairly broad and posteriorly weakly convex.

PEREIOPODS 3–4. Merus, carpus and propodus extremely broad and short; dactylus fairly large, strongly curved on both sides, clasping.

PEREIOPOD 5. Basis of normal width, with posteroproximal process rounded and strongly protruding, with posterodistal tooth small, triangular; merus, carpus and propodus extremely broad and short; dactylus fairly large, strongly curved on both sides, clasping.

PEREIOPOD 6. Basis of normal width, with posteroproximal process very protruding (with proximal border very convex, with tip angulate or bluntly angulate, with distal border concave), with posterodistal tooth fairly small, triangular; merus, carpus and propodus extremely broad and short; dactylus fairly large, strongly curved on both sides, clasping.

PEREIOPOD 7. Basis broad; posterior border strongly diverging from axis of basis in proximal 0.75; at this level it form a distinct, blunt, nearly squared (very slightly obtuse) angle, which is followed by a deep concavity; this concavity form a broadly rounded curve; the posterodistal corner is produced into a long narrow tooth pointing obliquely backwards; merus, carpus and propodus extremely broad and short; dactylus fairly large, strongly curved on both sides, clasping.

Allometric variations

See pictures of immature specimen.

Colour pattern

Red mottled on a white background (photographs of Rauschert & Arntz 2015).

Body length

Up to 26 mm.

Distribution

Eastern shelf of the Weddell Sea, 330– 450 m.

Remarks

Based on morphological characters, Epimeria of the grandirostris complex from the eastern shelf of the Weddell Sea are herein considered as the new species E. kharieis sp. nov. See key of the subgenus Pseudepimeria for characters. The ‘ Epimeria grandirostris ’ specimens illustrated by Rauschert & Arntz (2015) are presumably E. kharieis sp. nov. based on the collection location: eastern shelf of the Weddell Sea. However, as many morphological characters cannot be observed on their photographs, this identification is tentative. The precise localities are given in an early draft of their book. They are indicated as respectively coming from stations F42 and 121 of the cruise ANT-XXI (obviously ANT- XXI/2). Station 42 corresponds to a photo sledge. The letter “F” would suggest that it is not an error, as the official acronym of the photo sledge used during ANT-XXI/2 is FTS ( Arntz & Brey 2005: 120). The coordinates of station 42 are 70°29.66ʹ S, 08°58.73ʹ W to 70°29.65ʹ S, 08°58.55ʹ W, 428– 429 m. Those of station 121 are 70°50.08ʹ S, 10°35.54ʹ W to 70°50.08ʹ S, 10°34.76ʹ W, 268– 274 m. The ‘ Epimeria grandirostris ’ illustrated on plate 2 fig. b (colour photograph) by Coleman (2007) is also presumably E. kharieis sp. nov. A copy of the photograph used by Coleman (2007) was found in the archives of RBINS, indicating that it was made during the cruise ANT-XIII (obviously ANT-XIII/3), which was focused on the study of the eastern shelf of the Weddell Sea.

Figures

Fig. 283. Epimeria (Pseudepimeria) kharieis sp. nov., ♀, paratype, eastern Weddell Sea, ANT-VII/4, stn 281, RBINS, INV. 132939. A. Lateral habitus. B. Dorsal habitus.

Fig. 284. Epimeria (Pseudepimeria) kharieis sp. nov., ♀, paratype, eastern Weddell Sea, ANT-VII/4, stn 281, RBINS, INV. 132939. A. Facial habitus. B. Head and body segments 1–3 in dorsal view.

Fig. 285. Epimeria (Pseudepimeria) kharieis sp. nov., ♀, holotype, eastern Weddell Sea, ANT-XV/3, stn 77, RBINS, INV. 132937. A. Coxae. B. Pleon.

Fig. 286. Epimeria (Pseudepimeria) kharieis sp. nov., ♀, holotype, eastern Weddell Sea, ANT-XV/3, stn 77, RBINS, INV. 132937. A. Head and body segments 1-3 in lateral view. B. Urosome in dorsal view. C. Telson.

Fig. 287. Epimeria (Pseudepimeria) kharieis sp. nov., ♀, holotype, eastern Weddell Sea, ANT-XV/3, stn 77, RBINS, INV. 132937. A. Gnathopod 2. B. Dactylus of gnathopod 2. C. Pereiopod 4. D. pereiopod 5. E. Pereiopod 6. F. Pereiopod 7.

Fig. 288. Epimeria (Pseudepimeria) kharieis sp. nov., immature paratype, sex undetermined, eastern Weddell Sea, ANT-XV/3, st. 77, RBINS, INV. 132938. A. Lateral habitus. B. Dorsal habitus.

Fig. 289. Epimeria (Pseudepimeria) kharieis sp. nov., immature paratype, sex undetermined, eastern Weddell Sea, ANT-XV/3, st. 77, RBINS, INV. 132938. A. Facial habitus. B. Head and anterior pereion segments in dorsal view.

Fig. 290. Epimeria (Pseudepimeria) kharieis sp. nov., immature paratype, sex undetermined, eastern Weddell Sea, ANT-XV/3, stn 77, RBINS, INV. 132938. A. Lateral habitus. B. Dorsal habitus.