Sunamphitoe stevesmithi Peart, 2017, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Peart, Rachael A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Malacostraca
Amphipoda
Ampithoidae
Sunamphitoe
Sunamphitoe stevesmithi

description: Sunamphitoe stevesmithi sp. nov.
(Figs 24–27)
Type material. Holotype: male, 8 mm, WAM C70226, mixed fine Sargassum sp. on rocks near shore, Canal Rocks, south of Yallingup, South west Western Australia, Australia, 33°40.28’S 114°59.67’E, coll. R. Peart, 6 December 2000.
Paratype: female, 9 mm, WAM C70227, collected with holotype; 6 specimens (males and females), WAM C70228, collected with holotype.
Other material examined. Australia, Western Australia: 1 specimen (AM P62604), 42 specimens (AM P62605), 0.5 m, from mixed brown algae on rocks near shore, Shelley Beach, Bunker Bay, near Cape Naturaliste, south of Busselton, 33°32.56’S 115°05.79’E, coll. R. Peart, 4 December 2000; 4 specimens, AM P62606, 0.5 m, Sargassum sp. on rocks near shore, Eagle Beach, near Cape Naturaliste, south west of Busselton, 33°33.69’S 115°03.90’E, coll. R. Peart, 5 December 2000; 9 specimens (AM P62607), 11 specimens (AM P62608), 12 specimens (WAM C70229), 5 specimens (AM P62610), 0.5 m, Sargassum sp. on rocks near shore, Canal Rocks, south of Yallingup, 33°40.28’S 114°59.67’E, coll. R. Peart, 6 December 2000.
Type locality. Canal Rocks, south of Yallingup, Western Australia, Australia.
Diagnosis. Antenna 2 slender, similar to antenna 1, with short, dense setae on ventral margin; Mandibular palp absent. Maxilla 1 inner plate without slender setae. Maxilla 2 inner plate narrow, outer plate broader. Lower lip outer plate notched, with lateral lobe longer than medial lobe. Gnathopod 2 carpus much shorter than propodus; propodus ovoid; palm extremely acute, entire, with subquadrate tooth near the base of the dactylus, without posterodistal tooth defining palm, without defining robust setae; dactylus overreaching palm, extending length of posterior margin of propodus, inner margin smooth. Pereopod 5 distal articles broad. Pereopod 6 basis posterior margin rounded. Pereopods 6–7 distal articles slender. Uropod 3 peduncle with four distal robust setae; outer ramus with patch of small conical lateral denticles, without lateral setal fringe. Telson distally truncate, apical cusps small, with apical and lateral slender setae, denticles absent.
Description. (Based on holotype male, 8 mm, WAM C70226, and paratype female, 9 mm, WAM C70227.)
Head as long as deep. Antenna 1 longer than antenna 2; peduncular article 1 longer than article 2 (1.2 ×), article 2 longer than article 3 (3.3 ×), article 3 shorter than article 1 (0.2 ×); primary flagellum with 16 articles.
Antenna 2 peduncular article 4 subequal to article 5; flagellum 12 articulate. Mandible molar well developed, triturating, with eight robust setae in accessory setal row. Maxilla 1 palp well developed, with apical robust setae. Maxilliped outer plate with developed setation (robust setae large and numerous), and reaching midlength of palp article 3; palp article 4 without setules.
Pereon. Gnathopod 1 smaller than gnathopod 2, without densely setose margins; coxa not produced anteroventrally, anteroventral corner rounded, ventral margin with row of slender simple setae of different lengths; basis subequal to coxa, with sparse (sometimes plumose) slender setae, anteroventral lobe small, rounded with one slender seta; merus produced to form small, subacute distoventral lobe; anterior margin without setae; carpus longer than merus, subtriangular, shorter than propodus (0.8 ×), carpal lobe rounded, anterior margin with slender setae only; propodus narrow (length 1.9 × width), subrectangular; palm transverse, entire, without midmedial tooth, without posterodistal tooth defining palm, with one defining robust seta; dactylus overreaching palm, inner margin denticulate. Gnathopod 2 coxa ventral margin with row of slender simple setae of varying lengths; basis subequal to coxa, with sparse slender setae, anteroventral lobe small, rounded, setae absent; merus produced to form short, subacute distoventral lobe, anterior margin with setae absent; carpus shorter than merus, subtriangular, anterior margin with slender setae only; propodus ovoid, not produced into anterodistally setose lobe; dactylus tapering evenly, acute, inner margin smooth.
Pereopods 3–4 basis and merus expanded. Pereopods 5–7 weakly prehensile. Pereopod 5 basis with marginal robust setae and medial slender setae; merus subrectangular; propodus not expanded distally, subrectangular, with three simple distal striated robust setae; dactylus strongly curved. Pereopod 6 basis with marginal robust setae, without medial slender setae; merus subrectangular; propodus subrectangular, slightly expanded distally, with three simple distal striated robust setae; dactylus slightly curved. Pereopod 7 basis with marginal robust setae, without medial slender setae; propodus subrectangular, defined distally by three to five simple robust setae.
Pleon. Epimeron 3 posteroventral corner rounded. Uropod 1, in situ, reaching rami of uropod 2; peduncle with eight robust setae, and short setal fringe; inner ramus slightly longer and narrower than outer ramus, with three marginal robust setae; outer ramus with four marginal robust setae. Uropod 2 peduncle with three robust setae; inner ramus slightly longer and narrower than outer ramus, with five marginal robust setae; outer ramus with four marginal robust setae. Uropod 3 peduncle longer than broad, (1.5 × width), short in relation to rami length (1.9 ×), marginal robust setae absent, but marginal slender setae present in two bundles, with more than five distal slender setae; rami broad; outer ramus longer than inner ramus, inner ramus with two distal robust setae and more than five distal slender setae.
Female. Antenna 1 primary flagellum with 36 articles. Antenna 2 peduncular article 4 longer than article 5; flagellum with 21 articles.
Gnathopod 1 subequal in size to gnathopod 2; coxa ventral margin with row of small setules and long tuft of slender setae on posteroventral corner; basis shorter than coxa, posterodistal lobe with setae absent. Gnathopod 2 coxal ventral margin with row of small setules and with long tuft of slender setae on posteroventral corner; basis shorter than coxa, posterodistal lobe with one slender seta; carpus longer than merus, shorter than propodus (0.8 ×); propodus narrow (length 1.7 × width), subrectangular; palm transverse, without midmedial tooth, with one defining robust seta; dactylus overreaching palm, inner margin denticulate.
Etymology. This species is named for Dr Steve Smith of the National Marine Science Centre, Southern Cross University, Australia, for his encouragement and advice, and assistance in field work during my Ph.D.
Remarks. Sunamphitoe stevesmithi sp. nov. resembles another new species from Australia, S. batavia sp. nov. by having a slender antenna 2 that is similar to antenna 1 and lacking the mandibular palp. Sunamphitoe stevesmithi differs from S. batavia by a number of characters: antenna 1 peduncular article 1 longer than article 2 (S. batavia has peduncular article 1 subequal in length to article 2), maxilla 1 inner plate lacks setation (S. batavia has one seta), gnathopod 2 palm is sinuous (S. batavia is straight), the uropod 1 rami inner margins are without robust setae (S. batavia margins have one robust seta each), weakly setose on the lateral margins of the telson (S. batavia quite setose on telson lateral margins), and the coxae are without fine setae (S. batavia has a coating of fine setae).
Habitat. Sunamphitoe stevesmithi sp. nov. occurs in shallow water (0.5 m), living in mixed brown algae, particularly Sargassum spp.
Distribution. Cape Naturaliste, Western Australia, Australia.
description: Published as part of Peart, Rachael A., 2017, Analysis of the genus Sunamphitoe Spence Bate, 1857 (Amphipoda: Ampithoidae) with descriptions of eight new species, pp. 301-345 in Zootaxa 4269 (3) on pages 334-339, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4269.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/582419