Australian Amphipoda: Aoridae

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

Microdeuteropus chelifer Haswell, 1879b: 340, pl. 22, fig. 3. --Della Valle, 1893: 421. Microdeutopus chelifer. --Haswell, 1882: 265.

Microdeutopus haswelli Stebbing, 1899: 350. --Stebbing, 1906: 591. --Stebbing, 1910: 647. --Sheard, 1937: 26. --J.L. Barnard, 1958: 29. --Myers, 1969: 107, figs 2e, 3h, 4b.

Type material. SYNTYPE (probable):: male, 4.5mm, AM P3497 ['Type' of Microdeutopus chelifer Haswell, 1879, incorrectly designated as holotype, Myers, 1969].

Type locality. Clark Island, Port Jackson, New South Wales.

Description. Based on Myers, 1969: 107, figs 2 �4 [Port Jackson].

Head. Rostrum absent or vestigial; Lateral cephalic lobes apically sub-acute, anteroventral margin not excavate, scarcely recessed. Antenna 1 flagellum with 20 or less articles; accessory flagellum present and multiarticulate. Antenna 2 with few long setae. Maxilliped basis without strong flange on anterior margin. Mandible, palp article 3 longer than 2.

Peraeon. Sternal spines absent. Gnathopod 1 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 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 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 sinuous or irregular with proximal lobe, palm absent; dactylus less than half length of propodus. Gnathopod 2 subchelate; basis anterodistal margin without 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, palm with robust seta(e) defining palm.

Pleon. Epimeron 3 posterodistal margin produced into a small spine. Uropod 1 biramous, peduncle slightly longer than broad, distoventral interramal spine longer than peduncle. Uropod 3 biramous, outer ramus shorter than inner, inner ramus subequal with length of peduncle.

Remarks. Female not known.

Distribution. New South Wales: Clark Island, Port Jackson (Haswell, 1879).

Geographic areas. South-eastern Australia.

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