Australian Amphipoda: Melitae

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

Victoriopisa australiensis Chilton, 1923

Niphargus australiensis Chilton, 1923: 80, fig. 1.

Eriopisa austaliensis. --Somebody, date: pages.

Victoriopisa austaliensis. --Barnard & Barnard, 1983: 670.

Type material. NEOTYPE: male, 11.1 mm, AM P56684.

Type locality. Boambee Creek, Sawtell, New South Wales (30º 20.8'S 153º 05.6'E), seagrass, 0.5 m depth.

Description. Based on neotype male, AM P56684. Head lateral cephalic lobes absent, lacking notch or slit, anteroventral corner rounded. Antenna 1 longer than antenna 2; peduncular article 1 not geniculate with article 2, subequal in length to article 2, without robust setae along posterior margin; flagellum with 33 articles; accessory flagellum with 2 articles. Antenna 2 peduncular article 2 cone gland not reaching to end of peduncular article 3; article 4 shorter than article 5; flagellum with 5 articles. Mandible palp present, well developed, article 3 rectolinear, setose along straight medial margin or with setae mostly terminal, longer than article 1, article 2 longer than article 3 or article 2 subequal to article 3 (slightly), article 1 produced distally, shorter than article 2, about as long as broad. Maxilla 1 inner plate setose along entire inner margin.

Pereon. Gnathopod 1 not sexually dimorphic; coxa anteroventral corner produced, rounded, coxa posteroventral corner notch absent; merus without posterodistal tooth; carpus about 2 x as long as broad; propodus without anterodistal projection, posterodistal margin not swollen, palm nearly transverse, convex, defined by posterodistal corner, defined by posterodistal robust setae. Gnathopod 2 not sexually dimorphic; subchelate; left and right gnathopods subequal in size; coxa posteroventral corner notch absent; merus with rounded posteroventral corner, or with subquadrate posteroventral corner; carpus short; propodus without medial depression, without strong concentration of setae, palm acute, concave, smooth, with sparse robust setae, defined by posterodistal robust setae, defined by posteroventral corner; dactylus closing along palm, reaching end of palm, apically acute/subacute. Peraeopod 5 basis posterior margin straight. Peraeopod 5 basis posteroventral corner broadly rounded. Peraeopod 6 coxa anterior lobe ventral margin not produced ventrally. Peraeopod 6 basis posterior margin straight. Peraeopod 6 basis posteroventral corner narrowly rounded or subquadrate. Peraeopod 6 propodus not expanded posterodistally. Peraeopod 7 basis posterior margin convex. Peraeopod 7 basis with posterior margin smooth or minutely castelloserrate, posteroventral corner broadly rounded. Peraeopod 7 propodus not expanded posterodistally.

Pleon. Pleonite 1 without dorsal serrations, without dorsodistal spines, not dorsally bicarinate. Pleonite 2 without dorsal serrations, without dorsodistal spines, not dorsally bicarinate. Pleonite 3 without dorsal serrations, without dorsodistal spines, dorsally smooth. Epimeron 1 anteroventral corner without curved spine. Epimera 1-2 posteroventral margin without spines above posteroventral corner. Epimeron 3 posterior margin smooth, posteroventral corner with small acute spine or with strongly produced acute spine, posteroventral margin smooth. Urosomite 1 without dorsal carina, without a small dorsal hump, without dorsal serrations, without spines or gape, not dorsally bicarinate. Urosomite 1 without posterodorsal spine. Urosomite 2 posterior margin smooth, without dorsolateral robust setae. Urosomite 3 without dorsal robust setae. Uropod 1 peduncle with basofacial robust seta (2), without distoventral spur. Uropod 3 greatly exceeding uropods 1 and 2; inner ramus scale-like, much shorter than outer ramus; outer ramus long (more than 1.6 x longer than peduncle), 2-articulate. Telson cleft. Telson without robust setae on inner margins. Telson without apical robust setae, apical conical extension absent.

Habitat. Estuarine; mangrove mud flats and seagrasses.

Depth zone. Littoral (0 to 3 m).

Remarks. A holotype (AM P5852) was deposited in Australian Museum, but cannot not be located (Springthorpe & Lowry, 1994) and is assumed to be lost. Because at least one undescribed species of Victoriopisa is know to occur in Australian waters, a neotype is established for the V. austaliensis.

Distribution. New South Wales: Southwest Creek, Trial Bay (Chilton, 1923); Boambee Creek, Sawtell; Wallis Lake; Fullerton Cove, Hunter River; Pittwater; Parramatta River; Botany Bay; Tuross; Twofold Bay (all AM).

Australian geographic areas. South-eastern Australia.

Cite this publication as: 'J.K. Lowry, P.B Berents & R.T. Springthorpe (2000 onwards). Australian Amphipoda: Melitae Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification and Information Retrieval. Version: 2 October 2000. https://crustacea.net'.