Australian Amphipoda: Aoridae

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

Microdeutopus maculata Thomson, 1879a: 331, pl.16, figs 5�8.

Microdentopus [sic] maculatus. --Thomson, 1880: 217, fig.7a-c. --Chilton, 1882: 173, pl. 8, fig. 3a,b.

Aora typica. --Thomson, 1879a: 331. --Thomson, 1880: 216. --Thomson & Chilton, 1886: 147. --Thomson, 1889: 261. --Hutton, 1904: 260. --Thomson, 1913: 245.

Aora maculata. --J.L. Barnard, 1972: 124, fig. 10f-h. --Lowry, 1974: 102, 122, fig. 5a. --Myers & Moore, 1983: 170, figs 1, 5, 6, 13.

Type material. Unknown.

Type locality. Dunedin, New Zealand.

Description. Based on Myers & Moore, 1983:170, figs 1, 5, 6, 13 [Snares Islands].

Head. Rostrum absent or vestigial; Lateral cephalic lobes apically truncate or apically round, 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. Mandible, palp article 3 longer than 2, posterior margin strongly falcate or 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 absent. Gnathopod 1 enlarged in males only; coxa 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 greatly elongated, as long as or longer than elongate carpus, distally free, produced along posterior margin of carpus, curved, apically acute, posterior margin with sparse setae or setae absent; carpus subequal in length with propodus or 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 absent; dactylus more 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 subequal with or shorter 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 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, rami subequal, inner ramus one and one half times length of peduncle.

Habitat. Algae.

Depth zones. Littoral.

Distribution. New South Wales: Port Jackson; Coogee; Kiama; Merimbula; Jiguma (Myers & Moore, 1983); Twofold Bay (Hutchings, et al., 1989). Victoria: Western Port (Myers & Moore, 1983). Tasmania: Tinderbox (Myers & Moore, 1983).

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

Extrinsic distribution. New Zealand; sub-Antarctic islands.

Peraeon. Gnathopod 1 coxa distinctly produced anterodistally, rounded; merus not greatly elongated, fused along its entire length with carpus, without posterodistal spine; carpus two thirds length of propodus; propodus longer than carpus, palm present, palm evenly continuous with posterior margin, margin entire, palm defined by rounded or oblique corner or corner undefined, with robust seta defining palm; fitting palm. Gnathopod 2 without robust seta or spine defining palm (?). Pereopod 6 basis produced posterodistally into a distinct "heel".

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