Caprella manneringi McCain, 1979

Caprella manneringi McCain, 1979 View in CoL

( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 )

Caprella manneringi McCain, 1979: 471–473 View in CoL , fig. 1.— Guerra-García, 2003: 182–185, figs 5–8.—Webber et al., 2010: 219.— Schnabel et al., 2023: 436.

Type Locality. Reef Point , Antipodes Island, New Zealand .

Material examined. NIWA125322 View Materials , 5 male specimens(6.5–7.0 mm), Bounty Island , 49°40.572’S, 178°43.945’E GoogleMaps ; NIWA 125321 View Materials , 1 specimen, D. Freeman, New Zealand Department of Conservation , Bounty-Antipodes Islands Expedition, 4–24 March 2009, Windward Island, Antipodes Islands, 6 m, 49°40.572’S, 178°43.945’E GoogleMaps , boulders, overhangs, rock wall, Durvillea sp.

Diagnosis. Head rectangular but without projection; body smooth and robust. Antenna 1 just over ⅓ of the body; peduncle articles 1–2 slender in male and female, sparsely setose, flagellum reaching to ½ the length of peduncle article 2. Antenna 2 shorter than antenna 1, reaching halfway along flagellum, bearing long setae on ventral margin. Gnathopod 1 robust, with palmar margin of propodus setose with pair of proximal grasping spines; palm straight; dactylus smooth. Pereonite 2 with acute ventral projection between gnathopods. Gnathopod 2 in male arising in distal half of pereonite 2; basis approximately ⅓ length of propodus and just under ½ of pereonite 2; palmar region of propodus straight, weakly setose with posterior corner large, subacute bearing robust setae, large acute tooth predactylar and no secondary tooth; dactylus strong, apex pointed and unconstricted with distal end smooth. Gnathopod 2 in female inserted midpoint on pereonite 2; palm of propodus convex. Gills short and slender in both sexes. Pereopods 5–7 of similar sizes; palmar margin of propodus convex, uneven and short bearing sparse short setae with two median grasping spines and expanded subacute posterior corner.

Distribution. Antipodes Island (type locality), Snares Islands/Tini Heke, New Zealand.

New Zealand biosecurity status. Native.

Remarks. Known only from New Zealand’s subantarctic islands, Caprella manneringi was originally described from specimens found on the asteroid Anasterias suteri (de Loriol, 1894) . More recent samples of C. manneringi from the type locality were also found on this species of sea star. Caprella manneringi is part of the Caprella equilibra species complex, all of which have an acute ventral projection on pereonite 2. This makes it similar to two other New Zealand species, Caprella perplexa sp. nov. and C. sarahae sp. nov. The morphological characteristics separating C. manneringi from others in the complex are the short robust body shape, the convex/sinuous palmar margin of pereopods 5–7, and the short male pereonites 1 and 2 ( Table 3).