Globosolembos rodriguensis, Myers, 2004

Myers, Alan, 2004, Amphipoda (Crustacea) of the family Aoridae (Corophiidea) from Rodrigues, Indian Ocean, Journal of Natural History 38 (23), pp. 3123-3135 : 3129-3132

Globosolembos rodriguensis sp. nov.

( figures 1B , 5–7 )

HOLOTYPE: AMP 67442, male, Grand Pate´, 17.5 m, 23 September 2001, 19‡39.388’S, 63‡25.130’E, small rubble on flat gravel plain.

PARATYPES: AMP 67441, three females, same locality and data as holotype .

Description. Holotype, male, 3.5 mm. Colour (in alcohol) uniform creamy orange. Head lateral cephalic lobes apically truncate; eyes distinctly reniform, orange-brown (in alcohol). Head anteroventral margin moderately excavate, moderately recessed. Body with sternal spines on pereon segments 1–5. Antenna 1 subequal in length with body, peduncular articles in the ratios 2:3:1, flagellum longer than peduncle with about 18 articles; accessory flagellum with four articles. Antenna 2 peduncular articles 4 and 5 stout, subequal, flagellum shorter than peduncular article 5 with four or five articles. Mandible palp article 3 10% longer than article 2, weakly falcate, setae of variable lengths. Maxilla 1 inner plate with one long pectinate apical seta. Labium outer plate with long mandibular processes and with both fine and stout distal setae. Maxilliped palp without wing-like flanges. Gnathopod 1 coxa twice as long as broad; propodus 1.5 times length of carpus, palm excavate, the excavation short, shallow and terminating

proximally in a subacute spine; dactylus elongate, greatly overlapping palm. Gnathopod 2 basis stout, anterior margin with a few long setae; carpus a little longer than propodus; carpus and propodus anterior margins densely clothed in long setae; dactylus stout, fitting palm. Pereopods 5–7 in the length ratios 1.0:1.2:2.0. Pereopod 6–7 basis with long setae on posterior margin only. Epimeron 3 rounded. Uropod 1 peduncle about 20% longer than rami, inter-ramal spine about one-quarter length of peduncle. Uropod 2 peduncle with short interramal spine; inner ramus a little longer than peduncle. Uropod 3 inner ramus longer than outer; and much longer than peduncle. Telson with fine setae only.

Female dimorphic characters: gnathopod 1 coxa 1.5 times as long as broad; propodus palm not excavate, defined by a weak process.

Remarks. In having a deeply excavate palm on the male gnathopod 1, G. rodriguensis closely resembles G. rimatara Myers from the Austral Isles. It also resembles G. excavatus (Myers) , G. indicus (Ledoyer) and G. lunatus Myers , but in these latter three species the excavation does not terminate proximally in a subacute process. It differs from G. rimatara in the distinctly more elongate male gnathopod 1, the broad dactylus of male gnathopod 2, the poorly defined palm of the female gnathopod 1, the lack of long setae on the anterior margin of the basis of pereopods 6 and 7, the presence of an inter-ramal spine on

uropod 2, the greater density of robust setae on uropods 1–2, the unequal rami of uropod 3 and the presence of marginal robust setae on the rami of uropod 3.

Etymology. Named after the island where specimens were collected.

Figures

FIG. 1. (A) Bemlos pustulatus sp. nov., male holotype AMP67443, Gravier; (B) Globosolembos rodriguensis sp. nov., male holotype AMP67442, Grand Pate´; (C) Bemlos pseudopunctatus (Ledoyer), Rivière Banane.

FIG. 5. Globosolembos rodriguensis sp. nov., male holotype AMP67442, female paratype AMP67441, Grand Pate´.

FIG. 6. Globosolembos rodriguensis sp. nov., male holotype AMP67442, Grand Pate´.

FIG. 7. Globosolembos rodriguensis sp. nov., male holotype AMP67442, Grand Pate´.