Linguimaera boecki (Haswell)

Linguimaera boecki (Haswell) View in CoL

Figs. 8–10

Megamoera boeckii Haswell, 1879b: 336 , pl. 21, fig. 6.

? Maera boeckii .–Della Valle, 1893: 732.

Elasmopus boeckii .–Stebbing, 1899: 426.–Stebbing, 1906: 445.– Stebbing, 1910a: 643.

Maera boecki .–Barnard & Barnard, 1983: 623.

Not Elasmopus boeckii .–K.H. Barnard, 1916: 199: pl. 27, figs 13–14.

Type material. Neotype: male, 7.5 mm, AM P60619 , off Sow and Pigs Reef , Port Jackson , New South Wales , 33°50.3'S 151°16.2'E, shelley sand, 5 m, benthic grab, J.K. Lowry & A.R. Jones, 30 Sep. 1976, stn NSW-184 . GoogleMaps

Additional material examined. New South Wales: 1 specimen, AM P60763; 1♀, 7.9 mm, AM P60947, type locality.

Type locality. Sow and Pigs Reef, Port Jackson, New South Wales (33°50.3'S 151°16.2'E), shelley sand, 5 m depth.

Description. Based on neotype male, AM P60619 and female, AM P60947.

Head. Lateral cephalic lobes broad, rounded, with anteroventral notch or slit, anteroventral corner subquadrate. Antenna 1 longer than antenna 2; peduncular article 1 subequal in length to article 2, with 2 robust setae along posterior margin; flagellum with 20 articles; accessory flagellum with 4 articles. Antenna 2 peduncular article 2 cone gland not reaching to end of peduncular article 3; article 4 longer than article 5; flagellum with 10 articles. Mandible palp article 3 rectolinear, setose on distomedial margin, longer than article 1; article 2 longer than article 3; article 1 not produced, shorter than article 2, about twice as long as broad. Maxilla 1 inner plate with 3 setae mainly terminal.

Pereon. Gnathopod 1 coxa anteroventral corner produced, acute, posteroventral corner notch absent; merus without posterodistal spine; propodus palm acute, straight, without posterodistal corner, defined by posterodistal robust setae. Gnathopod 2 sexually dimorphic; left and right gnathopods unequal in size, subchelate; coxa posteroventral corner notch absent; (larger) merus with sharp posteroventral spine; carpus compressed; propodus palm angle acute, straight, defined by posterodistal spine, with robust setae; dactylus apically blunt; (smaller) merus with sharp posteroventral spine; carpus long; propodus palm straight, without posteroventral spine. Pereopod 5 basis posterior margin straight, posteroventral corner narrowly rounded or subquadrate. Pereopod 6 coxa anterior lobe ventral margin slightly produced, rounded; basis posterior margin straight, posteroventral corner narrowly rounded or subquadrate. Pereopod 7 basis posterior margin straight, with posterior margin smooth or minutely castelloserrate, posteroventral corner narrowly rounded or subquadrate.

Pleon. Epimeron 1 posteroventral corner with small acute spine. Epimera 1–2 posteroventral margin with 1 to 2 large or small spines above spine defining posteroventral corner. Epimeron 3 posterior margin minutely serrate, posteroventral corner with small acute spine. Urosomites 1–3 dorsally smooth. Uropod 3 inner ramus subequal in length to outer ramus; outer ramus longer (1.2 to 2× length) than peduncle, 1-articulate. Telson deeply emarginate, each lobe with 1 apical/subapical robust seta, apical conical extension reaching scarcely one third along longest seta.

Female (sexually dimorphic characters). Gnathopod 2 carpus long; propodus without medial depression, setose, palm acute, straight or slightly concave, smooth, lined with robust setae, defined by posterodistal robust setae, defined by posteroventral corner; dactylus apically acute/subacute.

Habitat. Marine; littoral, shelley sand, 5 m depth.

Remarks. Linguimaera boecki appears to be most similar to L. hamigera . They differ from other members of the genus in having rather short rami on uropod 3 and L. boecki is the only species of Linguimaera with an emarginate telson.

Distribution. New South Wales: Port Jackson (Haswell, 1879b; AM).

Australian geographic areas. Southeastern Australia.