Australian Amphipoda: Melitae

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

Elasmopus pocillimanus (Bate, 1862)

Maera pocillimanus Bate, 1862: 191, pl. 34, fig. 7. --Stebbing, 1888: 35.

Elasmopus pocillimanus. --Della Valle, 1893: 733, pl. 1, fig. 4, pl. 22, figs 23-25. --Stebbing, 1906: 443-444. --Chevreux, 1910: 225, pl. 6, figs 1-2. --Kunkel, 1910: 56-59, fig. 21. --Chevreux and Fage, 1925: 246, fig. 257. --Schellenberg, 1938: 56, fig. 28. --J.L. Barnard, 1970: 128-131, figs 77-78. --J.L. Barnard; 1971: 71, 75, figs 34-35. --Ledoyer, 1972: 217, 219, pl. 37. --Ledoyer, 1973: 52, 91. --Ledoyer; 1979: 73. --Ledoyer, 1982: 478, fig. 180b. --Ortiz, 1978: 7. --Berents, 1983: 117, fig. 14. --Barnard & Barnard, 1983: 628.

Elasmopus levis. --Kunkel, 1918: 103, fig. 24 (fide Schellenberg, 1938).

Type material. Whereabouts unknown.

Type locality. Genoa, Mediterranean Sea.

Description. Based on Berents, 1983: 117, fig. 14. Head lateral cephalic lobes broad, rounded, with anteroventral 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 3 articles (about); accessory flagellum with 1-4 articles. Antenna 2 peduncular article 2 cone gland reaching at least to end of peduncular article 3; article 4 longer than article 5; flagellum with 6-7 articles. Mandible palp present, well developed, article 3 strongly falcate, setose along concave medial margin, longer than article 1, article 2 subequal to article 3 or article 2 shorter than article 3, article 1 not produced, shorter than article 2, about as long as broad.

Pereon. Gnathopod 1 not sexually dimorphic; carpus about 2 x as long as broad; propodus without anterodistal projection, posterodistal margin not swollen, palm acute, convex, defined by posterodistal corner, defined by posterodistal robust setae. Gnathopod 2 sexually dimorphic; subchelate; left and right gnathopods subequal in size; merus with subquadrate posteroventral corner; carpus compressed; propodus with medial depression, without strong concentration of setae, palm acute, convex, smooth, with sparse robust setae, without posterodistal robust setae, defined by posteroventral tooth; dactylus closing across medial surface of propodus (slightly), reaching end of palm, apically blunt. Peraeopod 5 basis posterior margin convex (slightly). Peraeopod 5 basis posteroventral corner broadly rounded. Peraeopod 6 coxa anterior lobe ventral margin slightly produced, rounded. Peraeopod 6 basis posterior margin convex (slightly). Peraeopod 6 basis posteroventral corner broadly rounded. Peraeopod 6 propodus not expanded posterodistally. Peraeopod 7 basis posterior margin convex (slightly). 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 subquadrate or with small 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, without distoventral spur. Uropod 3 subequal or slightly exceeding length of uropods 1 and 2; inner ramus shorter than outer ramus, or subequal in length to outer ramus; outer ramus medium length (1.1 to about 1.5 x longer than peducle), 2-articulate (minute). Telson cleft. Telson without robust setae on inner margins. Telson each lobe with 1 apical/subapical robust seta or without apical robust setae, apical conical extension reaching scarcely one third along longest seta or absent.

Habitat. Marine; living among coral and on coralline bottoms. Berents (1983) found this species in dead staghorn Acropora coral and in reef rock covered with coralline algae Lithothamnion and Halimeda.

Depth zone. Littoral.

Distribution. Queensland: Lizard Island, Yonge Reef, Great Barrier Reef (Berents, 1983).

Extrinsic distribution. Cosmopolitan in warm seas: Hawaii; Mediterranean Sea; Bermuda; Gilbert Islands; Madagascar; Cuba;.

Australian geographic areas. North-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'.