Australian Amphipoda: Aoridae

J.K. Lowry, P.B. Berents & R.T. Springthorpe

Bemlos aequimanus (Schellenberg, 1938)

Lembos aequimanus Schellenberg, 1938b: 76, fig. 39. --J.L. Barnard, 1965: 527, fig. 26. --J.L. Barnard, 1970: 72, fig. 36a-e. --Ledoyer, 1984: 31, fig. 14. --Myers, 1985b: 385, figs 246�248.

Bemlos aequimanus. --Myers, 1988a:188. --Myers, 1988b: 282.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: male, 7 mm. PARATYPE: female, 7.5 mm.

Type locality. Kiribati (as Gilbert Islands).

Description. Based on Schellenberg, 1938: 76, fig. 39 [Gilbert Islands]; Myers, 1985: 385, figs 246�248 [Tonga].

Head. Rostrum absent or vestigial; Lateral cephalic lobes apically truncate, anteroventral margin shallowly excavate, scarcely recessed. Antenna 1 flagellum with 21 or more articles; accessory flagellum present and multiarticulate. Antenna 2 with profuse long setae. Labium with fine setae and stout setae. Maxilla 1 inner plate with 1 long pectinate apical seta. Maxilliped basis without strong flange on anterior margin. Mandible, palp article 3 longer than 2, posterior margin straight or weakly falcate, mandible palp posterior margin with setae of two distinct lengths, long setae and an understory of much shorter regularly spaced setae.

Peraeon. Sternal spines present, on other pereonites, apically rounded. Gnathopod 1 enlarged in males only; coxa unproduced anterodistally, or distinctly produced anterodistally, sub-acute; basis slender, much less than half as broad as long, without a spine, anterior margin without stridulating ridges, posterodistal margin with setae sparse or absent, anterodistal margin with strong flange, with a weak distomedial lobe or absent; ischium anterior margin without flange, posterior margin with setae sparse or absent; merus not greatly elongated, fused along its entire length with carpus, posterior margin with sparse setae or setae absent, without posterodistal spine; carpus one third length of propodus, anterior margin without stridulating ridges, with setae sparse or absent, anterior surface with no spine, without an oblique row of long setae on medial face, posterior margin without spines; propodus longer than carpus, anterior margin weakly to moderately setiferous, posterior margin straight or evenly convex, palm present, palm delimited from posterior margin, margin forming a broad excavate sinus, palm defined by strong posterodistal spine, without robust seta defining palm, with spine near base of dactylus, with subquadrate spine; dactylus more than half length of propodus, significantly overlapping palm. Gnathopod 2 subchelate; basis anterodistal margin with flange, posterodistal margin without robust setae; with few setae along length of basis; carpus subequal with or shorter than propodus, anterior margin not lobate, moderately to sparsely setiferous; propodus moderately to sparsely setose, palm with robust seta(e) defining palm. Pereopod 6 basis not or weakly produced posterodistally. Pereopod 7 significantly less than 125% length of pereopod 6.

Pleon. Epimeron 3 posterodistal margin produced into a small spine. Uropod 1 biramous, rami rami subequal, peduncle much longer than broad, distoventral interramal spine shorter than peduncle. Uropod 2 peduncle with distoventral interramal spine. Uropod 3 biramous, outer ramus shorter than inner, inner ramus twice length of peduncle. Telson with distal fine setae only.

Female (sexually dimorphic characters). Peraeon. Sternal spines absent. Gnathopod 1 carpus one third length of propodus or two thirds length of propodus; with robust seta defining palm.

Habitat. Among algae and phanerogammes in shallow water.

Depth zones. Littoral (intertidal to 13 m depth).

Distribution. Queensland: Dingo Beach near Bowen Island (Myers, 1988b). New South Wales: Twofold Bay (Myers, 1988b; Hutchings, et al., 1989). Victoria; Crib Point (Myers, 1988b). South Australia: Stokes Bay, Kangaroo Island (Myers, 1988b).

Geographic areas. North-eastern Australia, or South-eastern Australia, or Southern Australia.

Extrinsic distribution. Widely distributed in western Pacific from Australia to Hawaii.

Cite this publication as: 'J.K. Lowry, P.B. Berents & R.T. Springthorpe (2001 onwards). Australian Amphipoda: Aoridae. Version 1: 2 October 2000. https://crustacea.net/'. Dallwitz (1980) and Dallwitz, Paine and Zurcher (1993, 1995, 2000) should also be cited (see References).

Index