Australian Amphipoda: Aoridae

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

Grandidierella gilesi Chilton, 1921a: 552, fig.11. --Chilton, 1925: 537. --K.H. Barnard, 1935: 300. --Schellenberg, 1938b: 93. --Nayar, 1959: 40, pl. 14, fig. 6. --Imbach, 1967: 90, pl. 33. --Sivaprakasam, 1970a: 157. --Ledoyer, 1979: 152. --Myers, 1981b: 222, fig. 6. --Asari & Myers, 1982: 248, figs 7�8.

Type material. CMNZ.

Type locality. Six localites in Chilka Lake (off Samal Island; off Satpara; 8 miles west by south of Breakfast Island; off north shore of Samal Island; Barkul Point; Satpara Bay), India.

Description. Based on Myers, 1981: 222, fig. 6 [Hawkesbury River, New South Wales]; Asari & Myers, 1982:248�252, figs 7�8 [Killai Backwaters].

Head. Rostrum absent or vestigial; Lateral cephalic lobes apically round or apically sub-acute, anteroventral margin moderately excavate, moderately recessed. Antenna 1 flagellum with 20 or less articles; accessory flagellum absent or vestigial. Antenna 2 with few long setae. Labium with fine setae only. Maxilla 1 inner plate without setae. Maxilliped basis without strong flange on anterior margin. Mandible, palp article 3 subequal to 2, posterior margin straight or weakly falcate, mandible palp posterior margin setae of more than two distinct lengths.

Peraeon. Sternal spines absent. Gnathopod 1 enlarged in males only; coxa unproduced anterodistally; 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 dense rows of setae, without posterodistal spine; carpus twice 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 with stout spine or spines, two spines, proximal the larger; propodus shorter than carpus, anterior margin weakly to moderately setiferous, posterior margin straight or evenly convex, palm absent; dactylus more than half length of propodus. Gnathopod 2 subchelate, or chelate; basis anterodistal margin without 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 densely 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 without distoventral interramal spine or with vestigial spine. Uropod 3 uniramous, inner ramus one and one half times length of peduncle. Telson with distal fine setae only.

Habitat. Builds flat tubes in the mud and silt associated with the shells of oysters.

Depth zones. Littoral.

Distribution. Queensland: Weipa, Gulf of Carpentaria (AM). Hawkesbury River (Myers, 1981b; Jones, et al., 1986; Jones, 1987).

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

Extrinsic distribution. India, Thailand, Java, South China Sea, and possibly Madagascar.

Head. Mandible, palp article 3 posterior margin straight or weakly falcate or widest medially.

Peraeon. Gnathopod 1 carpus subequal in length with propodus, posterior margin without spines; propodus subequal in length to carpus, palm present or palm absent, margin entire, palm defined by subquadrate corner, with robust seta defining palm, with spine near base of dactylus, with subtriangular, apically subacute or rounded spine; fitting palm. Gnathopod 2 chelate.

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