Saldanha machaera
Creators: name: Springthorpe, R. T.
name: Lowry, J. K.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Malacostraca
Amphipoda
Melitidae
Saldanha
Saldanha machaera

description: Saldanha machaera (K.H. Barnard, 1955)
(Figs 1–4)
Melita machaera K.H. Barnard, 1955: 90, fig. 45.― Griffiths, 1974: 291.― Griffiths, 1975: 132.― Milne & Griffiths, 2013: 86 (appendix).― Labay, 2016: 5 (Table 1).― Krapp-Schickel & Sket, 2015: 251.― Tucker et al., 2017: 201 (appendix).
Abludomelita machaera. ― Karaman, 1981: 40.
? Abludomelita machaera. ― Labay, 2016: 19 (species incertae sedis).
Type material. Lectotype, male, 14.1 mm, SAM A43347, False Bay, South Africa, ca 34°13.7′S 18°38.7′E, coll. University of Cape Town, November 1953 - September 1954. Paralectotypes: 1 ovigerous female, 14.4 mm, 1 male, 11 mm, 1 juvenile, SAM A10312, same data as lectotype.
Other material examined. Eight specimens, SAM A18988, Oatland Point, False Bay, South Africa, ca 34° 13.7′S 18° 38.7′E, station FAL 259 F, 21 November 1953.
Type locality. Valsbaai (originally cited as False Bay), South Africa ca 34°13.7′S 18°38.7′E.
Description. Based on lectotype, male, 14.1 mm, SAM A43347.
Head. Head eyes well developed, ommatidia compacted, ovate, lateral cephalic lobe broad, rounded, anteroventral margin with notch, anteroventral corner rounded. Antenna 1 longer than Antenna 2; peduncular article 1 with 3 robust setae along posterior margin, longer than article 2; peduncular article 2 longer than article 3; accessory flagellum with 5 articles; flagellum with about 28 articles. Antenna 2 peduncular article 2 gland cone not reaching to end of peduncular article 3; article 4 subequal to article 5; flagellum with about 12 articles. Upper lip unknown. Mandible molar medium size, triturative; palp reduced, thin, weak, 3-articulate; article 1 about as long as broad, shorter than article 2, inner margin not produced distally; article 2 longer than article 3, with a few facial setae; article 3 rectilinear, longer than article 1, with apical setae only. Lower lip inner lobes present. Maxilla 1 inner plate subtriangular, setose to about halfway along inner margin; outer plate with 9 apical robust setae; palp 2-articulate, article 2 with apical robust and simple setae. Maxilla 2 inner plate with submarginal setal row, without oblique setal row on inner face, with marginal setal row; outer plate slightly longer than inner plate.
Pereon. Gnathopod 1 smaller than gnathopod 2, not sexually dimorphic; coxa anteroventral corner produced, rounded, anterior margin concave, posteroventral corner notch absent; carpus about twice as long as broad, subequal in length to propodus, length about 1.1 times propodus; propodus without hump along anterior margin, palm acute, convex, without anterodistal projection near base of dactylus, defined by posterodistal corner, without anterodistal projection, posterodistal margin not swollen, with posterodistal robust seta; dactylus articulating distinctly with propodus, posterior margin not swollen at base. Gnathopod 2 left and right gnathopods subequal in size; significantly enlarged in male and female; slightly sexually dimorphic; coxa subrectangular, with posteroventral corner notch; merus with subquadrate distoventral corner; carpus compressed; propodus without medial depression, without medial pad; propodus palm nearly transverse with well-defined corner, sinusoidal, sculptured, with sparse robust setae, with at least 2 large swellings or teeth along margin, defined by posteroventral tooth, with posterodistal socket, without posterodistal robust setae; dactylus without setae on anterior margin, closing along palm, apically blunt. Pereopods 3–7 dactylar ungues simple. Pereopods 5–7 basis posterior margin minutely castelloserrate. Pereopods 5–7 basis, merus, carpus and propodus without bunches of long slender setae, with robust setae. Pereopod 3 coxa subrectangular, subequal in length to coxa of pereopod 2. Pereopod 4 coxa posteroventral lobe well developed with rounded corner. Pereopod 5 coxa bilobate; basis expanded, posterior margin convex, posteroventral corner broadly rounded. Pereopod 6 coxa slightly sexually dimorphic, anterior lobe ventral margin slightly produced, broadly rounded; basis posterior margin convex, posteroventral corner broadly rounded. Pereopod 7 basis posterior margin convex, castelloserrate, posterodistal corner produced, broadly rounded.
Pleon. Pleonite/urosomite dorsal spine formula: 0 0 1 1 2. Pleonites 1–3 without dorsal setae, Pleonite 3 with dorsal midline spine. Epimera 1–3 posterior margin without spines above posteroventral corner, ventral margin smooth. Epimeron 1 posteroventral corner broadly rounded. Epimeron 2 posteroventral corner narrowly rounded or subquadrate. Epimeron 3 posteroventral corner subquadrate. Urosomite 1 with dorsal midline spine. Urosomite 2 posterior margin without dorsal midline spine, with 1 dorsolateral spine and 1 dorsolateral robust seta on each side. Uropod 1 peduncle with basofacial robust seta. Uropod 3 inner ramus scale-like, much shorter than outer ramus; outer ramus very long, 7.8 times breadth, 2.4 times longer than peduncle, 2-articulate, article 2 short. Telson cleft, as long as broad, tapering distally, lobes apically acute or subacute, without robust setae on outer margins, each lobe with 2 dorsal robust setae, with 3 or more apical/subapical robust setae, without robust setae on inner margins, apical conical extension absent.
Female (sexually dimorphic characters). Based on paralectotype, female (ovigerous), 14.4 mm, SAM A10312. Gnathopod 2 merus with acute distoventral corner; palm acute with well-defined corner, minutely crenulate, lined with robust setae, with 1 large tooth about midway along margin, serrate along margin, with posterodistal robust setae; dactylus with 5 or more simple setae on anterior margin, apically acute/subacute. Pereopod 6 coxa anterior lobe ventral margin slightly produced, narrowly rounded.
Remarks. Saldanha machaera (KH Barnard, 1955) was originally described from Valsbaai (originally cited as False Bay), South Africa. Only the head, first and second gnathopods, urosome and telson were illustrated. There was no mention of mouthparts in the original description, leading to the difficulty in generic placement (Karaman, 1981; Labay, 2016). The redescription and re-illustration of Saldanha machaera brings the species into a modern context.
Habitat. Marine.
Distribution. South Africa: Valsbaai (False Bay) (K.H. Barnard, 1955); southern coast, South Africa (Griffiths,1974); Plettenberg Bay to Saldanha Bay (Griffiths, 1975).
description: Published as part of Springthorpe, R. T. & Lowry, J. K., 2025, Saldanha, a new genus of melitid amphipod from South Africa (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Senticaudata: Melitidae), pp. 389-396 in Zootaxa 5620 (2) on pages 390-395, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5620.2.11, http://zenodo.org/record/15219292