Australian Amphipoda: Melitae

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

Quadrimaera quadrimana (Dana, 1852)

Gammarus quadrimanus Dana, 1852: 955, pl. 65, fig. 9.

Moera quadrimanus. --Bate, 1862: 194, pl. 35, fig. 5.

Maera quadrimana. --Stebbing, 1906: 435 (in part). --Schellenberg, 1938: 45, figs 21-22. --J.L. Barnard, 1955: 13. --J.L. Barnard, 1962: 99. --J.L. Barnard, 1965: 511, fig. 17. --J.L. Barnard, 1970: 152, figs. 94-95. --J.L. Barnard, 1971: 84, figs 38-40. --J.L. Barnard, 1972b: 107. --Sivaprakasam, 1966: 101. --Sivaprakasam, 1968: 35. --Ledoyer, 1972: 229, pl. 45. --Ledoyer, 1978: 279. --Ledoyer, 1979: 80. Ledoyer, 1982: 542, fig. 206. --Surya Rao, 1972: 196. --Ortiz, 1978: 8. --Berents, 1983: 128, fig. 22. --Myers, 1985: 116, fig. 91.

Quadrimaera quadrimana. --Krapp-Schickel & Ruffo, 2000: xxx.

not Maera quadrimanus. --Thomson, 1882: 235, pl. 17, fig. 4a (= Maera tepuni J.L. Barnard, 1972b). --Ledoyer, 1986: 190, fig. 11 (= Maera miranda Ruffo, Krapp & Gable, 2000).

Type material. Whereabout unknown.

Type locality. Fiji Islands.

Description. Based on J.L. Barnard, 1970: 152, figs 94-95; Ledoyer, 1982: 542, fig. 206. Berents, 1983: 128, f.ig. 22; Myers, 1985: 116, fig. 91; Ledoyer, 1986:. Head lateral cephalic lobes broad, truncated, lacking notch or slit, anteroventral corner with acute/subacute tooth. Antenna 1 peduncular article 1 not geniculate with article 2, shorter than article 2, with 3 robust setae along posterior margin or with 4 or more robust setae along posterior margin; flagellum with 15 articles (about); accessory flagellum with 6-7 articles. Antenna 2 peduncular article 2 cone gland reaching at least to end of peduncular article 3, or not reaching to end of peduncular article 3; article 4 longer than article 5 (slightly), or article 4 subequal to article 5; flagellum with 6 articles (about). Mandible palp present, well developed, article 3 rectolinear, setose on distomedial margin, longer than article 1, article 2 longer than article 3, article 1 not produced, shorter than article 2, about as long as broad. Maxilla 1 inner plate with setae mainly terminal.

Pereon. Gnathopod 1 not sexually dimorphic; coxa anteroventral corner not produced; merus without posterodistal tooth; carpus about 2 x as long as broad; propodus without anterodistal projection, posterodistal margin not swollen, palm acute (slightly), convex (slightly), without posterodistal corner, defined by posterodistal robust setae. Gnathopod 2 not sexually dimorphic; subchelate; left and right gnathopods subequal in size; merus with subquadrate posteroventral corner; carpus compressed; propodus without medial depression, without strong concentration of setae, palm nearly transverse, convex or straight (slightly), sculptured or smooth, lined with robust setae, defined by posterodistal robust setae, defined by posteroventral tooth; dactylus closing along palm, reaching end of palm, apically acute/subacute. Peraeopod 5 basis posterior margin convex (slighlty). Peraeopod 5 basis posteroventral corner narrowly rounded or subquadrate. Peraeopod 6 coxa anterior lobe ventral margin slightly produced, rounded. Peraeopod 6 basis posterior margin convex (slighlty). Peraeopod 6 basis posteroventral corner narrowly rounded or subquadrate. Peraeopod 6 propodus not expanded posterodistally. Peraeopod 7 basis posterior margin convex (slighlty). Peraeopod 7 basis with posterior margin smooth or minutely castelloserrate, posteroventral corner narrowly rounded or subquadrate. 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 subequal in length to outer ramus; outer ramus short (shorter than or subequal to peducle), 1-articulate. Telson cleft. Telson without robust setae on inner margins. Telson each lobe with 3 or more apical/subapical robust setae, apical conical extension absent.

Habitat. Marine; living among red algae, sponges and coral rubble.

Depth zone. Littoral.

Remarks. Quadrimaera quadrimana is distributed throughout the Indo West Pacific. Morphological variation between these populations appears to be slight. The posteroventral corner of peraeopods 5 to 7 is variable. In the Fijian (type locality) population the posteroventral corner is narrowly rounded or subquadrate on all three pairs of legs; in the Hawaiian population it is rounded on peraeopod 5 and narrowly rounded on peraeopods 6 and 7 and in the Madagascar population it is rounded on all three pairs of legs.

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

Extrinsic distribution. Red Sea; Madagascar; India; Mauritius; Caroline Islands; Marshall Islands; Kiribati; Fiji; Hawaii; Cuba; Bermuda.

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'.