Aoroides palfreyensis Myers, 2009, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Myers, Alan A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Malacostraca
Amphipoda
Aoridae
Aoroides
Aoroides palfreyensis

description: <i>Aoroides palfreyensis</i> sp. nov. (Figs 1, 2) <i>Aoroides vitiosus</i>. — Myers, 2005: 355 (not <i>A. vitiosus</i> Myers, 1995: 27, figs 1, 2). <b>Type material.</b> Holotype, male, 1.8 mm, AM P75478, rubble zone on south-east side of Palfrey Island, Lizard Island (14°41'S 145°27'E), heavy algal turf, fine sediment, rubble on sandy substrate, 1 m, J.D. Thomas, 4 February 1989 (JDT/LIZ 20). Paratype: female, AM P75479, same station data. <b>Additional material examined.</b> 1 male, 1 female, AM P77553 (JDT/LIZ 20). <b>Type locality.</b> Palfrey Island, Lizard Island, Queensland, Australia (14°41'S 145°27'E). <b>Etymology.</b> Named after the type locality. <b>Description.</b> Based on holotype, male, 1.8 mm, AM P75478. <b>Head.</b> <i>Head</i> lateral cephalic lobes apically round. <i>Antenna 1</i> flagellum with about 11 articles; accessory flagellum absent. <i>Antenna 2</i> with few long setae. <i>Lower lip</i> with fine setae only. <i>Maxilla 1</i> inner plate with 1 long pectinate apical seta. <i>Mandible</i>, palp absent. <b>Pereon.</b> <i>Pereonites</i> without sternal spines. <i>Gnathopod 1</i> enlarged in males only; coxa anterodistally rounded; basis slender, much less than half as broad as long, without a spine, posterodistal margin with setae absent, anterodistal margin with strong acute flange; ischium anterior margin with strong flange, posterodistal margin with few setae; merus elongated as long as or longer than carpus, distally free and produced along posterior margin of carpus, posterior margin with few setae, without posterodistal spine; carpus longer than propodus, anterior margin without setae, without spine, posterior margin without spines; propodus anterior margin with few long setae, posterior margin sinuous, palm absent; dactylus subequal in length with propodus. <i>Gnathopod 2</i> subchelate; basis anterodistal margin weakly concave, without flange, posterodistal margin without robust setae; merus not enlarged; carpus subequal in length with propodus, anterior margin not lobate, with short, sparse setae; propodus anterior margin with short sparse setae, with robust seta defining palm. <i>Pereopod 3</i> without brush of long setae on merus. <i>Pereopod 6</i> basis not produced posterodistally. <i>Pereopod 7</i> about 125% length of pereopod 6. <b>Pleon.</b> <i>Epimeron 3</i> posterodistal margin rounded. <i>Uropod 1</i> rami subequal, peduncle much longer than broad, distoventral spine shorter than peduncle. <i>Uropod 2</i> biramous, inner ramus longer than outer ramus, peduncle without distoventral spine. <i>Uropod 3</i> biramous, rami subequal, inner ramus a little shorter than peduncle. <i>Telson</i> with distal fine setae only. <b>Female</b> (sexually dimorphic characters). Based on paratype, female, AM P75479. <i>Gnathopod 1</i> merus not greatly elongated, not distally free; carpus shorter than that of male, shorter than propodus. <i>Gnathopod</i> 2 more slender than that of male, basis anterior margin straight, carpus and propodus subequal. <b>Habitat.</b> Algal turf and rubble on a sandy substrate. <b>Remarks.</b> This species is very close to <i>Aoroides vitiosus</i> Myers, 1995 from Papua New Guinea, which also lacks a mandibular palp. Myers (1995) gave reasons for retaining the genus <i>Aoroides</i> for species of this genus lacking a mandibular palp. The loss of a palp probably occurs by a single point mutation rather then by gradual loss. There are no other generic level differences between species with and those without a mandibular palp. It differs from <i>A. vitiosus</i> in the acute ending anterodistal flange on the basis of the male gnathopod 1 (rounded in <i>A. vitiosus</i>) and in the shape of the merus of the male gnathopod 1 which in <i>A. vitiosus</i>, is much shorter than the carpus and constricted at the base of its free portion, whereas in <i>A. palfreyensis</i>, it is longer than the carpus, and evenly tapering. Other differences are the evenly curved posterior margin of the carpus of the male gnathopod 2 in <i>A. palfreyensis</i> (straight in <i>A. vitiosus</i>) and the shorter carpus of the female gnathopod 1 in <i>A. palfreyensis</i>. The pereopods and the uropods are more slender in <i>A. vitiosus</i> than they are in <i>A</i>. <i>palfreyensis</i>. <b>Distribution.</b> <i>Australia</i>. Queensland: Lizard Island (current study). <i>Society Islands</i>. Austral Isles (Myers 2005).
description: Published as part of <i>Myers, Alan A., 2009, Aoridae *, pp. 220-278 in Zootaxa 2260 (1)</i> on pages 221-223, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2260.1.9, http://zenodo.org/record/5321091
description: {"references": ["Myers, A. A. (2005) Aoridae (Amphipoda: Corophioidea) from the Austral Isles. Records of the Australian Museum, 57, 355 - 360.", "Myers, A. A. (1995) The Amphipoda (Crustacea) of Madang Lagoon: Families Aoridae, Isaeidae, Ischyroceridae and Neomegamphopidae. Records of the Australian Museum, Supplement, 22, 25 - 95."]}