Leucothoe epidemos White &amp; Thomas, 2009, sp. nov.
Creators: name: White, Kristine N.
name: Thomas, James Darwin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Ericales
Ericaceae
Leucothoe
Leucothoe epidemos

description: <i>Leucothoe epidemos</i> sp. nov. (Figs 7, 8, Pl. 3H) <b>Type material.</b> Holotype, male, 14.6 mm, AM P 70663; Watsons Bay, Lizard Island (14°39.41’S 145° 27.14°E), tunicate <i>Styela</i> sp., patch reef, 5 m, J. K. Lowry, 24 February 2005 (QLD 1638). Paratype, female, 12.7 mm, AM P 71221; Casuarina Beach, Lizard Island (14°40.38’S 145°26.69’E), 11 tunicates from rock &amp; rubble, sandy bottom with rubble, algae &amp; sparse seagrass, 2 m, S. LeCroy, 2 March 2005 (QLD 1770). <b>Additional material examined.</b> 1 male, AM P 70631 (QLD 1621); 2 females, AM P 70589 (QLD 1622); 1 female AM P 70647 (QLD 1634); 1 female, AM P 70662 (QLD 1638); 4 females, AM P 70736 (QLD 1643); 1 male, AM P 70754 (QLD 1645); 1 female, AM P 70761 (QLD 1652); 1 male, AM P 70764 (QLD 1659); 4 females, AM P 70918 (QLD 1681); 3 females, 2 juveniles, AM P 70970 (QLD 1687); 1 female, AM P 70885 (QLD 1692); 1 female, AM P 17028 (QLD 1713); 1 juvenile, AM P 71175 (QLD 1723); 1 female, AM P 71184 (QLD 1730); 2 females, AM P 71100 (QLD 1733); 1 juvenile, AM P 71168 (QLD 1751); 1 female, AM P 71260 (QLD 1757); 1 female, AM P 71230 (QLD 1760); 3 females, 1 male, AM P 71281 (QLD 1770); 4 females, AM P 71377 (QLD 1788); 4 females, 1 male, AM P 71354 (QLD 1789); 1 male, AM P 71380 (QLD 1791); 1 juvenile, AM P 71372 (QLD 1798); 1 female, AM P 71358 (QLD 1803); 1 male, AM P 71427 (QLD 1808); 1 male, AM P 71416 (QLD 1816); 1 female, AM P 71492 (QLD 1819); 1 female, AM P 71441 (QLD 1820); 1 female, 2 juveniles, AM P 71562 (QLD 1823); 1 female, 3 juveniles, AM P 71532 (QLD 1823); 1 female, 1 male, AM P 71564 (QLD 1823); 2 females, AM P 71579 (QLD 1829); 1 female, 1 male, AM P 71522 (QLD 1829); 1 male, 4 females, GCRL2887 (SEL /LZI-2-1); 1 male, 1 female, GCRL2885 (SEL /LZI-2-3); 1 male, 1 juvenile, GCRL2884 (SEL /LZI-3-2); 2 females, GCRL2886 (SEL /LZI-2-7); 2 females, GCRL2888 (SEL /LZI-4-1). <b>Type locality.</b> Watsons Bay, Lizard Island, Queensland, Australia (14°39.41’S 145° 27.14°E). <b>Etymology.</b> After the Greek ‘ <i>epidemos</i> ’, meaning ‘ <i>prevalent, common to a large number</i> ’ and referring to the high numbers of this species collected at Lizard Island, Australia. <b>Description.</b> Based on holotype, male, 14.6 mm, AM P70663. <b>Head.</b> <i>Head</i> length less than pereonite 1+2, anterior margin rounded, anterodistal margin rounded without cusp, ventral cephalic keel rounded, rostrum small to medium; eyes with 10 or more ocelli, posteriorly concave. <i>Antenna 1</i> 0.3 x body length; flagellum 8-articulate, peduncle width less than 2 x article 2. <i>Antenna 2</i> 0.3 x body length, shorter than antenna 1; flagellum 3-articulate. <i>Mandibles</i> lacking molars; palp 3-articulate, ratio of articles 1-3, 1.0:4.2:2.5, article 2 with 17 <i>–</i> 18 distal setae, article 3 with 2 distal setae, incisors strongly dentate; left mandible lacinia mobilis large, strongly toothed, with 12 accessory setae, right mandible lacinia mobilis small, with 7 accessory setae. <i>Upper lip</i> asymmetrically lobate, anterior margin setose. <i>Lower lip</i> inner lobes fused, bare; outer lobes with moderate gape, anterior margins weakly setose. <i>Maxilla 1</i> palp 2- articulate with 4 distal setae; outer plate with 7 distal spines and 4 proximal setae. <i>Maxilla 2</i> inner plate with 5 distal and 3 proximal setae; outer plate with 3 robust and 20 thin distal setae. <i>Maxilliped</i> inner plates fused, apical margin with v-shaped indentation, with short spines, long setae and a dense coating of facial setae; outer plate smooth, reduced, reaching half of palp article 1, with 3 proximal and 3 distal setae and 1 distal spine; palp 4-articulate, article 4 slender, slightly recurved. <b>Pereon.</b> <i>Coxae 1–4</i> relative widths 1.0:1.1:0.8:1.4. <i>Gnathopod 1</i> coxa smooth, bare, anterodistal corner produced, truncate, distal margin straight, posterodistal margin subquadrate, with 1 facial seta; basis slightly constricted proximally, anterior margin with 12 setae, posterior margin bare; ischium bare; carpus and propodus distally tapered; carpus length 8.9 x width, proximal margin with 3 serrate rows, distal margin setose; propodus straight, palm serrate with 6 proximal setae; dactylus smooth, reaching 0.4 x propodus length. <i>Gnathopod 2</i> coxa length subequal to width, slightly wider than coxa 3, smooth, bare, anterodistally rounded, distal margin evenly rounded, posterior margin slightly concave, facial setae absent; basis widened anterodistally, with 3 distal tubercles, anterior margin with 12 <i>–</i> 14 setae, posterior margin bare; ischium with 3 anterodistal, 3 distal and 2 posterodistal setae; carpus 0.3 x propodus length, curved, distally truncate, spoonlike, anterior margin smooth; propodus posterior margin without spines/serrations, with 1 mediofacial setal row displaced to midline, reaching 0.8 x propodus length, 1 row of 14 submarginal setae, palm convex with 4 major projections; dactylus curved, proximal margin smooth, anterior margin distally subacute, reaching 0.7 x propodus length. <i>Pereopod 3</i> coxa length 1.5 x width, smooth, bare, anterodistal corner over-riding distal face of coxa 2, not extending below it, anterior margin evenly rounded, distal margin oblique, posterior margin straight, facial setae absent. <i>Pereopod 4</i> coxa smooth, bare, anterior and distal margins evenly rounded, posterior margin excavate, facial setae absent. <i>Pereopods 5–7</i> coxa facial setae absent; basis width length ratio 1:1.2, 1:1.2, 1:1.2, posterior margins smooth, bare. <b>Pleon.</b> <i>Epimera 1+3</i> bare. <i>Epimeron 2</i> with 4 ventral setae. <i>Epimeron 3</i> posteroventral margin weakly produced. <i>Uropods 1–3</i> relative lengths 1.0:0.8:1.0; inner and outer ramus with robust setae. <i>Uropod 1</i> peduncle subequal in length with inner ramus. <i>Uropod 2</i> peduncle 0.8 x inner ramus length; outer ramus 0.7 x inner ramus length. <i>Uropod 3</i> peduncle 1.3 x inner ramus length. <i>Uropod 1+3</i> outer ramus subequal to inner ramus length. <i>Telson</i> 2.6 x longer than wide, apex tridentate. <b>Female</b> (sexually dimorphic characters). Based on paratype, female, 12.7 mm, AM P 71221. <i>Gnathopod 2</i> carpus not spoon-like, anterior margin serrate; propodus mediofacial setal row less setose; submarginal setal row with 8 setae. <i>Pereopod 3</i> coxa with marginal setae. <b>Habitat.</b> Inside branchial chamber of ascidians <i>Polycarpa aurata</i> (Quoy &amp; Gaimard, 1834), <i>Atriolum robustum</i> Kott, 1983 and <i>Styela</i> Fleming, 1822 sp., in algae, coral rubble and the sponge <i>Spirastrella vagabunda</i> (Ridley, 1884). <b>Remarks.</b> <i>Leucothoe epidemos</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> shares the spoon-like gnathopod 2 carpus with <i>Leucothoe alata</i> J.L. Barnard, 1959, <i>Leucothoe lihue</i> J.L. Barnard, 1970 a, <i>Leucothoe spinulosa</i> Chevreux, 1927, <i>Leucothoe tridens</i> Stebbing 1888 and <i>L</i>. <i>rudicula</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> The profusely displaced mediofacial setal row is found in <i>Leucothoe commensalis</i> Haswell 1879, <i>Leucothoe wuriti</i> Thomas &amp; Klebba, 2007 and <i>Leucothoe thula</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> <i>Leucothoe epidemos</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> differs from <i>L. commensalis</i> in its single mediofacial setal row, rounded ventral cephalic keel and wider pereopods 5 <i>–</i> 7 basis. <i>Leucothoe epidemos</i>, <i>L. wuriti</i>, <i>Leucothoe pollexa</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> and <i>L. thula</i> share the facial seta on coxa 1. This species may be a sister taxon to <i>L</i>. <i>commensalis</i>, which has been reported frequently from this region, with each description showing slight variations. It is likely that <i>L</i>. <i>commensalis</i> is a cryptic species complex due to its isolated lifestyle in ascidian hosts. <b>Distribution.</b> <i>Australia</i>. Queensland: Lizard Island (current study).
description: Published as part of <i>White, Kristine N. &amp; Thomas, James Darwin, 2009, Leucothoidae *, pp. 494-555 in Zootaxa 2260 (1)</i> on pages 505-508, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2260.1.29, http://zenodo.org/record/5323471
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