Australian Amphipoda: Eusiridae

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

Eusiroides sp.

Eusiroides crassi. --Stebbing, 1910: 594.

Description. Head rostrum present, short; eyes present, eyes reniform. Body dorsally smooth. Antenna 1 longer than antenna 2 (slightly); accessory flagellum present, accessory flagellum longer than broad (1-articulate). Mandible molar columnar, triturative. Lower lip inner lobes present; outer lobes with narrow gap. Maxilla 1 inner plate apically setose. Maxilla 2 inner plate much broader than outer; inner plate slender medial setae few or absent, without oblique row of slender setae.

Peraeon. Gnathopod 1 subchelate; subequal to gnathopod 2; coxa strongly produced anteroventrally; carpus not cantilevered, shorter than propodus, posterodistally lobed; propodus without robust setae along posterior margin (adults); dactylus narrowing distally, apically acute or subacute. Gnathopod 2 not sexually dimorphic. Gnathopod 2 subchelate; carpus not cantilevered, posterodistally lobed, shorter than propodus; propodus without robust setae along posterior margin (adults); dactylus narrowing distally, apically acute or subacute. Peraeopods 3-4 propodus simple, with distal slender setae (?). Peraeopods 5-7 dactyli inner margins smooth or minutely castellate.

Pleon. Pleonites neither tricarinate. Epimeron 3 posteroventral margin smooth, corner subacute. Uropod 1 outer ramus shorter than inner. Uropod 3 peduncle without dorsal robust setae; rami subequal in length. Telson cleft, without large apical robust setae.

Habitat. Marine; soft bottom.

Depth zones. Continental shelf (100 to 120 m).

Remarks. Stebbing (1910) reported a species of Eusiroides (as E. crassi Stebbing, 1888) from off Wattamolla, New South Wales. Eusiroides crassi (type locality, South Atlantic Ocean 37ºS 54'W, 1100 m depth) has a smooth posterior margin on epimeron 3, but Stebbing indicated that his specimen (an ovigerous female collected at about 100 m depth) had two spines as the posteroventral corner.

Distribution. New South Wales: off Wattamolla (Stebbing,1910).

Geographic areas. South-eastern Australia.

Cite this publication as: 'J.K. Lowry, P.B Berents & R.T. Springthorpe (2000 onwards). Australian Amphipoda: Eusiridae. Version: 2 October 2000. https://crustacea.net'.