Netamelita lacerta Yerman 2009, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Yerman, Michelle N.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Malacostraca
Amphipoda
Eriopisidae
Netamelita
Netamelita lacerta

description: Netamelita lacerta sp. nov.
(Figs 1, 2)
Type material. Holotype, sex unknown, 2 mm, AM P77559, Cobia Hole, Lizard Island (14°39.154’S 145°26.851’E), coarse sediment with shell and coral, patches of reef and sand, cores, 17 m, M. Yerman, 25 February 2005 (QLD 1663). Paratype: 1 female, 1.82 mm, AM P78550, from reef crest off Coconut Beach, Lizard Island (14°41.037’S 145°28.282’E), coarse sand, sand patches between reef, core, 2.6 m, M. Yerman, 23 February 2005 (QLD 1620).
Type locality. Cobia Hole, Lizard Island, Queensland, Australia.
Etymology. From the Latin word lacerta, which translates to lizard. The species is named after the type locality Lizard Island.
Description. Based on holotype, sex unknown, 2 mm, AM P77559.
Head. Head eyes absent. Anteroventral corner rounded; lateral cephalic lobe absent. Antenna 1 peduncular article 1 longer than article 2, without robust setae along posterior margin; flagella with 8 articles, accessory flagellum minute, with 1 article. Antenna 2 peduncular article 2 cone gland not reaching to end of peduncular article 3; article 4 longer than article 5. Mandible palp article 1 about as long as broad or about twice as long as broad, inner margin article 1 not produced distally; article 2 slightly longer than or subequal to article 3. Mandible molar enlarged and dominating. Maxilla 1 inner plate not visible. Maxilla 2 inner plate without marginal setal row and without an oblique setal row on the inner face.
Pereon. Gnathopod 1 coxa anteroventral corner produced, rounded; anterior margin concave or produced; posteroventral corner notch absent; carpus subequal in length to propodus; propodus small, linear; palm straight, defined by posterodistal corner, without posterodistal robust setae. Gnathopod 2 coxa posteroventral corner notch absent; carpus length 1.7 x breadth; propodus without distolateral crown. Pereopod 5 dactylus unguis anterior margin without accessory spines. Pereopods 5–7 basis posterior margin straight and castelloserrate; dactylus unguis anterior margin without accessory spines.
Pleon. Pleonites 1–3 without dorsal setae. Epimeron 1 posteroventral corner broadly rounded. Epimeron 2 posteroventral corner acute. Epimeron 3 posteroventral corner with small acute spine, and posteroventral margin smooth. Urosomite 1 without spines or gape. Urosomite 2 without small dorsolateral robust setae. Urosomite 3 without dorsal setae. Uropod 1 peduncle with basofacial robust seta, longer than rami. Uropod 2 slender, apically acute. Uropod 3 outer ramus long (up to 5 x breadth), about 2 x length of peduncle or much longer than peduncle, distally acute or sub-acute, 1-articulate; inner ramus scale-like, much shorter than the outer ramus. Telson deeply cleft, with 2 short apical robust setae on each lobe, without dorsal robust setae.
Habitat. Coarse shelly sand with coral rubble. Probably interstitial.
Remarks. Currently there are four species in the genus Netamelita: N. brocha Thomas & Barnard, 1991; N. barnardi McKinney, Kalke & Holland, 1978; N. cortada J.L. Barnard, 1962; and N. tabaci Thomas & Barnard, 1991. Along with the new species, other Netamelita species have a small linear gnathopod 1 with an acute palm, and long carpus on gnathopod 2. Netamelita lacerta differs from all other species based on a unique set of characteristics: eyes absent, 8-articulate antenna 1 flagellum and gnathopod 1 carpus length 1.7 x breadth. It is most similar to N. brocha and N. tabaci. The new species differs from N. brocha and N. tabaci as follows: eyes absent (N. brocha and N. tabaci have poorly developed eyes with ommatidia separated); article 1 of the mandibular palp twice as long as broad (about as long as broad in N. brocha); article 2 longer than article 3 (subequal in length to article 3 in N. brocha); marginal setal row on the inner plate of maxilla 2 absent (present in N. brocha); anteroventral corner of coxa 1 rounded (acute or subacute in N. brocha); and 1 to 2 setae on the anterior margin of the dactyli of gnathopod 2 (no setae on N. brocha); posterior margin on the basis of pereopod 7 straight (convex in N. tabaci); epimeron 1 posteroventral corner broadly rounded (N. tabaci has a small acute or subacute spine); posteroventral corner of epimeron 3 with a small acute spine (strongly produced acute spine in N. tabaci); telson with short apical robust setae (long apical setae in N. brocha and N. tabaci).
Distribution. Australia. Queensland: Lizard Island (current study).
description: Published as part of Yerman, Michelle N., 2009, Melitidae, the Eriopisella group *, pp. 713-717 in Zootaxa 2260 (1) on pages 714-717, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2260.1.36, http://zenodo.org/record/5306063