Caprella andreae Mayer, 1890

Caprella andreae Mayer, 1890 View in CoL

( Figs. 1–3 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 , Appendix 1)

Caprella acutifrons View in CoL f. andreae Mayer, 1890: 51–55 View in CoL , pl. 2: fig. 38, pl. 4 figs. 56, 70, 71; Mayer, 1903: 80.— Stephensen, 1929: 182.— Utinomi, 1947: 71.

Caprella andreae View in CoL .— McCain, 1968: 116, fig. 2.— Lee, 1988: 100.— Krapp-Schickel, 1993: 777, fig. 530.— Aoki & Kikuchi, 1995: 54–61.— Sezgin et al., 2009: 433–437.— Lee & Hong, 2011: 41–44, fig. 25.— Cabezas et al., 2013a: 483–497.— Woods et al., 2014: 97–102.— Schnabel et al., 2023: 422, 436.

Type locality. Atlantic coast of the United States of America .

Material examined. NIWA 88602 View Materials , 30 specimens (5–15 mm), Bay of Plenty, 36°32.00’ S, 175°33’E, surface longline GoogleMaps , TRIP3768 /6 ; NIWA 157724 View Materials , more than 200 specimens, 38°12.005’S, 179°47.87’W, on GoogleMaps DART surface buoy amongst hydroids, DART C, December 2021 ; NIWA 98319 View Materials , 14 specimens, rafting on floating pumice, surface waters above west side of Kermadec Trench , 33°58.889’S, 178°30.277’W, collected off the side of the GoogleMaps RV Kaharoa from water surface during KAH1301 HADEEP IV cruise .

Diagnosis. Head with short, blunt triangular projection, directed forward; body otherwise smooth and robust. Antenna 1 shorter than ½ of body; peduncle articles 1–2 inflated in male, sparsely setose, longer than flagellum. Antenna 2 longer than peduncle of antenna 1, bearing long dense setae on ventral margin. Gnathopod 1 robust, with palmar margin of propodus setose with pair of proximal grasping spines; palm somewhat straight; dactylus serrate. Pereonite 2 without ventral projection. Gnathopod 2 in male arising at midlength of pereonite 2; basis shorter than ½ of propodus and ½ of pereonite 2; palmar region of propodus slightly concave, densely setose with distal rectangular projection and slight proximal spiniform process; dactylus strong, apex pointed and constricted medially with distal end slightly serrate. Gnathopod 2 in female inserted distally on pereonite 2; palm of propodus convex. Gills rounded and quite large and inflated in male, maximum diameter subequal in length to pereonite 4. Gills oval to elliptical and smaller in female. Pereopods 5–7 increasing in length posteriorly; palmar margin of propodus convex bearing short dense setae with two median grasping spines.

Distribution. Northern New Zealand. Global distribution: north-eastern Atlantic; Mediterranean Sea; Hawaii; Sea of Japan; Korean Strait; Atlantic coast of the USA; and Cuba ( McCain 1968; Aoki & Kikuchi 1995; Foster et al. 2004; Sezgіn et al. 2009); South Solitary Island, New South Wales, Australia (one specimen only, requiring verification).

New Zealand biosecurity status. Adventive in New Zealand.

Remarks. Caprella andreae is adventive and was first recorded in New Zealand waters from a mussel farm by Woods et al. (2014). Caprella andreae is typically found in shallow-water habitats (<60 m depth) such as seagrass, offshore buoys, and finfish farms. It is regarded as an obligate “rafter” on substrates such as driftwood, buoys and seaweed, and is epibiotic on sea turtles ( McCain 1968; Aoki & Kikuchi 1995; Relini et al. 2000; Foster et al. 2004; Sezgіn et al. 2009; Cabezas et al. 2013a). It is close morphologically to C. dilatata Krøyer, 1843 , C. penantis Leach, 1814 , C. novaezealandiae Kirk, 1878 and C. serenae sp. nov. ( Table 2). It has a robust, strong body with a small forward pointing projection on the head, convex pereopod 5–7 palms, and strongly rounded gills.