Australian Amphipoda: Melitae

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

Ceradocus dooliba J.L. Barnard, 1972 Ceradocus dooliba J.L. Barnard, 1972.

Ceradocus dooliba J.L. Barnard, 1972a: 216, fig. 127. --Barnard & Barnard, 1983: 615.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: female, 20.3 mm, NMV Jxxxxx.

Type locality. Capel Sound, Port Phillip Bay, Victoria.

Description. Based on J.L. Barnard, 1972a: 216, fig. 127. Head with anteroventral notch or slit, anteroventral corner with blunt tooth. Antenna 1 peduncular article 1 not geniculate with article 2, with 3 robust setae along posterior margin or with 4 or more robust setae along posterior margin. Antenna 2 peduncular article 2 cone gland not reaching to end of peduncular article 3. Mandible palp present, well developed, article 3 cone-like, shorter than article 1, article 2 longer than article 3, article 1 produced distally, shorter than article 2, about twice as long as broad. Maxilla 1 inner plate setose along entire inner margin.

Pereon. Gnathopod 1 not sexually dimorphic; merus with sharp posterodistal tooth; propodus without anterodistal projection, posterodistal margin not swollen. Gnathopod 2 sexually dimorphic; subchelate; left and right gnathopods subequal in size; merus with sharp posteroventral tooth; propodus without medial depression, without strong concentration of setae, palm acute, convex, smooth, lined with robust setae, defined by posterodistal robust setae, defined by posteroventral tooth or 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 with acute or subacute process. Peraeopod 6 coxa anterior lobe ventral margin not produced ventrally. Peraeopod 6 basis posterior margin straight. Peraeopod 6 basis posteroventral corner with acute or subacute process. Peraeopod 6 propodus not expanded posterodistally. Peraeopod 7 basis with posterior margin smooth or minutely castelloserrate, posteroventral corner with acute or subacute process. Peraeopod 7 propodus not expanded posterodistally.

Pleon. Pleonite 1 with dorsal serrations, without dorsodistal spines, not dorsally bicarinate. Pleonite 2 with dorsal serrations, without dorsodistal spines, not dorsally bicarinate. Pleonite 3 with dorsal serrations, without dorsodistal spines, dorsally smooth. Epimeron 1 anteroventral corner without curved spine. Epimera 1-2 posteroventral margin with 5 or more large or small or groups of spines above spine defining posteroventral corner. Epimeron 3 posterior margin serrate, posteroventral corner with small acute spine, posteroventral margin serrate. Urosomite 1 without dorsal carina, without a small dorsal hump, with dorsal serrations, with broad dorsal midline gape, rarely bearing midline spines, not dorsally bicarinate. Urosomite 1 without posterodorsal spine. Urosomite 2 posterior margin with dorsal midline spine and serrations, without dorsolateral robust setae. Urosomite 3 without dorsal robust setae. Uropod 1 peduncle without distoventral spur. Uropod 3 exceeding uropods 1 and 2; inner ramus subequal in length to outer ramus. Telson cleft. Telson without robust setae on inner margins. Telson each lobe with 3 or more apical/subapical robust setae, apical conical extension reaching at least halfway along longest seta.

Habitat. Marine; mainly sublittoral in bays.

Depth zone. Littoral.

Remarks. J.L. Barnard (1972) designated a female, 20.3 mm long as the holotype of C. dooliba. The legend for fig. 127 indicates that he illustrated and described a male, 23.0 mm long. The description and illustration of gnathopod 2 is generally similar to that of a Ceradocus female, but he does not mention the form of the female gnathopod 2 for C. dooliba, so we do not know if they are sexually dimorphic or not.

Distribution. Victoria: Port Phillip Bay (J.L. Barnard, 1972a). Western Australia: Sugarloaf Rock, Cape Naturaliste (J.L. Barnard, 1972a).

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'.