Talorchestia morinoi Othman & Azman, 2007

Azman, B. A. R., 2017, The talitrid amphipod genus Talorchestia from the South China Sea to the Indonesian Archipelago (Crustacea, Senticaudata), Zootaxa 4319 (3), pp. 401-434 : 417-418

Talorchestia morinoi Othman & Azman, 2007

Talorchestia morinoi Othman & Azman, 2007: 60 , figs 1–4.

Type material. Holotype, male, 9.6 mm, UKMMZ-1154. Paratypes: female, 10.2 mm, UKMMZ-1155; 2 males and 2 females AM P.72698); 15 males, 15 females UKMZ-1156.

Type locality. Air Batang beach, Tioman Island, east coast Peninsular Malaysia (2°50.483'N 104°9.566'E).

Habitat. Living among macroalgae in the supralittoral zone.

Diagnostic description. Based on Othman & Azman, 2007: 60, figs 1–4. Antenna 2 short (shorter than first 3 pereonites). Gnathopod 1 carpus 1.6 × as long as propodus, about 3.1 × as long as broad; propodus tapering. Gnathopod 2 merus and carpus appear to be fused; propodus about 1.8 × as long as wide, palm reaching about 50% along posterior margin, without protuberance near dactylar hinge. Epimeron 1 with 4 robust setae along ventral margin. Epimeron 3 with small subacute tooth. Uropod 2 inner ramus subequal in length to outer ramus. Uropod 3 ramus 2.7 × as long as broad. Telson with about 10 setae per lobe.

Remarks. Talorchestia morinoi belongs to the group of nine species ( T. brucei , T. dampieri , T. dili , T. gracilis , T. martensii , T. morinoi , T. seringat , T. sipadan and T. qeshm ) without a rounded protuberance near the dactylar hinge on the palm of gnathopod 2.

Talorchestia morinoi is similar to T. qeshm from the Persian Gulf. Both species have at least 10 robust setae per lobe on the telson and the dactylus of male gnathopod 2 reaching about halfway down the posterior margin of the propodus. But T. morinoi has a short second antenna (not reaching to the third pereonite, more than half body length in T. qeshm ), the carpus of male gnathopod 1 is about 3 × as long as broad (2.5 × in T. qeshm ), the merus and carpus of male gnathopod 2 appear to be fused in T. morinoi (although the carpus is small in T. qeshm it is distinct), the posteroventral corner of epimeron 3 has a small subacute tooth (large in T. qeshm ) and the ramus of uropod 3 is free in T. morinoi (partially fused to the peduncle in T. qeshm ).

Distribution. Malaysia. Tioman Island, South China Sea ( Othman & Azman 2007).