Pseudoprotomima hurleyi McCain, 1969

Peart, Rachael A. & Woods, Chris, 2025, Caprellidae (Crustacea: Amphipoda) of Aotearoa New Zealand waters: a constantly changing landscape, Zootaxa 5568 (1), pp. 1-65 : 56

Pseudoprotomima hurleyi McCain, 1969

( Fig. 1 )

Diagnosis. Head rounded, no projection; body smooth and slender. Antenna 1 approximately ½ of body; peduncle articles 1–2 narrow, sparsely setose, longer than flagellum. Antenna 2 longer than peduncle of antenna 1, without dense setae on ventral margin, flagellum with four articles. Gnathopod 1 small and slender, with palmar margin of propodus setose with three proximal grasping spines; palm somewhat convex and defined by broad, subquadrate corner; dactylus smooth but weakly setose. Pereonite 2 without ventral projection. Gnathopod 2 in male arising from anterior end of pereonite 2; basis shorter than propodus and shorter than pereonite 2; propodus with small subacute corner ⅓ along posterior margin defining palm, this corner armed with 3 robust setae/grasping spines; palm slightly convex and slightly sinuous and lined with small slender setae; dactylus slightly curved, reaching all along to palm corner, inner margin smooth and lined with small setae. Gills small and oval, longer than wide. Pereopod 3–5 slender, six-segmented. Pereopod 3 dactylus longer than propodus. Pereopods 5 shorter than pereopods 3 and 4, dactylus slightly shorter than propodus. Pereopods 6–7 similar in size and length and narrow; propodus narrow, not defined by corner or grasping spines, palmar margin of propodus straight and not defined, dactylus much shorter than propodus. Appendages without downy covering.

Remarks. Pseudoprotomima hurleyi is the only deep-water caprellid known from New Zealand waters, but globally, a number of species occur deeper than 500 m.

Distribution. Chatham Rise and Canterbury Basin, New Zealand.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution of caprellid species in the New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone (map: E. Leunissen, NIWA).