Maeraceterus taaroa Hughes, 2016, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Hughes, Lauren E.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Malacostraca
Amphipoda
Maeridae
Maeraceterus
Maeraceterus taaroa

description: Maeraceterus taaroa sp. nov.
(Figs 63–64)
Type material. Holotype male, 8.2 mm, dissected, 4 slides, AM P.81539, Cathedral Rock, Norfolk Island, South Pacific (29°00′13″S 167°56′57″E), 10.9 m, under stones, 13 May 2008, coll. R.T. Springthorpe (MI NFK 7).
Type locality. Cathedral Rock, Norfolk Island, South Pacific (29°00′13″S 167°56′57″E).
Etymology. Name from the Polynesian sea god, Taaroa; used as a noun in apposition.
Description. Based on holotype male, 8.2 mm, AM P.81539.
Head. Eyes subovate; lateral cephalic lobe broad, apically rounded, anteroventral margin with notch/slit, anteroventral corner truncate. Antenna 1 unknown. Antenna 2 peduncular article 4 longer in length than article 5; flagellum with 10 articles. Mandible accessory setal row, well developed with 5 setae; palp well developed, article 1 length 1.1 × width, shorter than article 2; article 2 longer than article 3, with a few slender setae; article 3 rectilinear, long, 3.1 × as long as broad, longer than article 1, with 4 apical slender setae. Lower lip lobes without apical ducts; mandibular lobes apically rounded. Maxilla 1 inner plate with 3 apical setae; outer plate palp with apical slender setae.
Pereon. Gnathopod 1 coxa anterior margin concave, anteroventral corner produced, subacute to narrowly rounded, posteroventral corner without notch; merus with posteroventral corner subquadrate; carpus length 2.1 × width, 1.3 × propodus length, medial surface with rows of short setae; propodus rectilinear, medial surface setal comb absent, palm subacute, straight, entire, defined posterodistal corner with 2 robust setae; dactylus closing along palm.palm subacute, straight, entire, defined posterodistal corner with 2 robust setae; dactylus closing along palm.
Gnathopod 2 symmetrical, subchelate; coxa posteroventral corner without notch; basis broad, anterodistal corner with pair of well-developed rounded lobes, posterodistal corner with row of long robust setae; ischium anterior margin with pair of well-developed lobes; merus with subacute posteroventral corner; carpus compressed, length subequal to width, posterior margin with long slender setae; propodus subovate, length twice width, posterior margin with clusters of long slender setae, palm angle subacute, posterodistal shelf subrectangular, margin sculpted, with 2 rounded teeth, palm weakly defined by 1 robust seta; dactylus closing along and reaching end of palm.
Pereopod 4 coxa without posterodistal lobe. Pereopods 5–7 slender distally; basis posteriorly expanded, margin weakly convex, without long slender setae; merus and carpus slightly broadened; dactylus unguis simple.
Pleon. Pleonites 1–3 dorsally smooth. Epimeron 1 posterior margin smooth, corner subquadrate. Epimeron 2 posterior margin smooth, corner with notch and small tooth. Epimeron 3 posterior margin smooth, corner subquadrate. Urosomites 1–3 without carina. Uropod 1 peduncle with 1 basofacial seta; rami inner ramus longer than outer ramus; outer ramus 0.9 × peduncle length. Uropod 2 peduncle with 1 basofacial seta; rami inner ramus longer than outer ramus; outer ramus 0.9 × peduncle length. Uropod 3 unknown. Telson deeply cleft, length subequal to width, lobes divergent, tapering distally, lobes apical margins concave, inner cusps shorter than outer cusps, each lobe with 4–6 apical robust setae and 1 pair of lateral robust setae.
Remarks. See remarks for Maeraceterus bramblensis gen. et sp. nov.
Distribution. South Pacific. Norfolk Island (current study).
description: Published as part of Hughes, Lauren E., 2016, New genera, species and records of Maeridae from Australian Waters: Austromaera, Ceradocus, Glossomaera, Hamimaera, Huonella gen. nov., Linguimaera and Maeraceterus gen. nov. (Crustacea: Amphipoda), pp. 1-81 in Zootaxa 4115 (1) on pages 76-79, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4115.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/255539