Australian Amphipoda: Aoridae

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

Microdeuteropus (sic) australis Haswell, 1879a: 271, pl. 11, fig. 5.

Microdeutopus australis Haswell, 1882: 263.

Lemboides australis. --Stebbing, 1899: 350. --Stebbing, 1906: 601.

Bemlos australis. --Myers, 1988a: 188. --Myers, 1988b: 278, figs 11-13.

Type material. Whereabouts unknown.

Type locality. Port Jackson, New South Wales.

Description. Based on Myers, 1988: 278, figs 11-13 [Twofold Bay, New South Wales].

Head. Rostrum absent or vestigial; Lateral cephalic lobes apically truncate, anteroventral margin moderately excavate, scarcely recessed. Antenna 1 flagellum with 20 or less articles; accessory flagellum present and multiarticulate. Antenna 2 with few 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 or widest medially, mandible palp posterior margin with setae of two distinct lengths, long setae and an understory of much shorter regularly spaced setae.

Peraeon. Sternal spines absent. Gnathopod 1 enlarged in males only; coxa unproduced anterodistally, or distinctly produced anterodistally, sub-acute; basis robust, half or more as broad as long, without a spine, anterior margin without stridulating ridges, posterodistal margin with setae sparse or absent, anterodistal margin with flange weak or absent, 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 and one third to one and one half 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 shorter 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 subtriangular, apically subacute or rounded spine; dactylus less 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 longer than propodus, anterior margin not lobate, moderately to sparsely setiferous; propodus moderately to sparsely setose, without robust seta or spine 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 rounded. 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, rami subequal, inner ramus twice length of peduncle. Telson with distal fine setae only.

Habitat. Among Posidonia, algae, in coral rubble, fine sands, on a breakwater.

Depth zones. Littoral.

Distribution. Queensland: Lizard Island (Myers, 1988b); New South Wales: Port Jackson (Haswell, 1879); Twofold Bay (Myers, 1988b; Hutchings, et al., 1989).

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

Peraeon. Gnathopod 1 coxa unproduced anterodistally; carpus subequal in length with propodus; propodus subequal in length to carpus, margin entire, palm defined by rounded or oblique corner, with robust seta defining palm, without spine near base of dactylus; dactylus about half length of propodus. Gnathopod 2 carpus subequal with or shorter than propodus; palm with robust seta(e) defining palm.

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