Leptosquilla schmeltzii (A. Milne-Edwards, 1873 )

Brokensha, Rouane, Landschoff, Jannes & Griffiths, Charles, 2023, New and notable stomatopods (Crustacea, Stomatopoda) from Mozambique, European Journal of Taxonomy 900 (1), pp. 148-179 : 156-157

Leptosquilla schmeltzii (A. Milne-Edwards, 1873) new record

Fig. 5

Squilla schmeltzii A. Milne-Edwards, 1873: 11 , pl. II fig. 7 [type locality ‘habite Upolu’, Samoa Islands, Pacific Ocean].

Leptosquilla schmeltzii – Miers 1880: 13. — Holthuis 1967: 13. — Manning 1968: 121–122, fig. 5b; 1970b: 1433–1344.

Squilla schmeltzii – Hansen 1926: 10. — Holthuis 1941: 257, fig. 2.

Diagnosis

Eyes elongated; cornea subglobular. A1 somite significantly elongate, extending anteriorly well beyond apex of rostral plate. Carapace with anterolateral spines. Mandibular palp absent and 2 epipods present. Raptorial claw with 6 or 7 teeth on dactylus. TS5 lateral process an obliquely rounded lobe. Telson broader than long with SM teeth with movable apices. Uropodal exopod outer margin with 4 movable spines, distal two spines spatulate; protopod with 2 lobes between terminal spines, inner margin with 5–6 spines.

Material examined

MOZAMBIQUE • 1 ♀ (TL 34 mm); Morrumbene Estuary ; 23°42′34.7″ S, 35°23′03.4″ E; depth unknown; 21 Jan. 1954; UCT Ecological Survey leg; stn MOR.49.H; SAMC – A092092 • 1 ♂ (TL 26 mm); same collection data as for preceding except 19 Jul. 1954; stn MOR.203C; SAMC – A092093 .

Measurements

Male (n = 1) TL 26 mm, female (n = 1) TL 34 mm. CI 423–483. AWCLI 836–860.

Colour in alcohol

Stained pinkish amber. Body covered in black spots most visible on eyes and uropods.

Colour in life

Light grey with small black spots described as star-shaped in original description ( Milne-Edwards 1873).

Distribution and habitat

Indo-West Pacific from Samoa, Lesser Sonda Islands, Andaman Islands and Red Sea. Localities from Western Indian Ocean include Madagascar ( Manning 1970b), Mauritius ( Miers 1880) and now southern Mozambique [Inhambane]. Associated with mud to coarse shell substrata; 7–77 m depth.

Remarks

The only species of its genus, L. schmeltzii is recorded for the first time from southern Mozambique. The present specimen agrees in all aspects with the most recent account of L. schmeltzii from Madagascar ( Manning 1970b). The specimen of L. schmeltzii illustrated by Hansen (1926) is distinct in bearing a single lobe between the terminal spines of the uropodal protopod, but when the specimen was examined a small second lobe was found. The single lobe can be considered a by-product of a stylized illustration of the uropod (private correspondence with Shane Ahyong). The present study material agrees with the species accounts by Holthuis (1941) and Manning (1970b) in having two lobes present between the terminal spines of the uropodal protopod ( Fig. 5H ). Sexual dimorphism in the form of a more inflated median carina of the telson has been reported in large males exceeding 15 mm total length ( Holthuis 1941) and is confirmed for the male specimen examined herein. The female specimen has six teeth on the left dactylus of the raptorial claw and seven on the right, while the male has seven teeth on both dactyli.

As corrected in Manning (1970b), the present specimens were found to have two epipods instead of the four previously recorded in Manning’s (1968) revision of the family Squillidae . The material examined herein reflected Manning’ s (1970b) representation of the species from Madagascar with 2 epipods present. In Ahyong’s (2001) most recent key of family Squillidae , the genus Leptosquilla is still distinguished via the presence of epipods on maxillipeds 1–4. This error is corrected herein.

Figures

Fig. 5. Leptosquilla schmeltzii (A. Milne-Edwards, 1873). A–C, F, H–I. ♀, TL 34 mm (SAMC– A092092). D, G. ♂, TL 26 mm (SAMC–A092093). A. Right raptorial claw, lateral. B. Eye right, lateral. C. Anterior cephalothorax, dorsal. D. TS8 sternal keel, left lateral. E. TS5–8, right dorsal. F. Right pleopod 1 endopod, anterior. G. Right uropod, ventral. H. AS6, telson and left uropod, dorsal. Scale bar: A–C, E, G–H = 1 mm; D, F = 0.5 mm.