Globosolembos varanus, Myers, 2009

Myers, Alan A., 2009, Aoridae *, Zootaxa 2260 (1), pp. 220-278 : 268-271

Globosolembos varanus sp. nov.

( Figs 37, 38)

Type material. Holotype, male, 4.5 mm, AM P71210 , Mermaid Cove , Lizard Island (14°38.91’S 145°27.26’E), encrusting algae & rubble, sand with rubble bottom, 2 m, T. Krapp, 28 February 2005 (QLD 1730) . Paratype: 1 female, same data as holotype, AM P75466 (QLD 1730) .

Additional Material examined. 1 female, AM P71211 (QLD 1728) .

Type Locality. Mermaid Cove , Lizard Island, Queensland, Australia (14°38.91’S 145°27.26’E) .

Etymology. Named after the goanna (monitor) genus Varanus, which gave Lizard Island (the type locality) its name.

Description. Based on holotype, male, 4.5 mm, AM P71210 .

Head. Head lateral cephalic lobes apically truncate. Antenna 1 flagellum with about 15 articles; accessory flagellum multiarticulate. Antenna 2 with moderately profuse long setae. Lower lip with fine setae and stout setae. Maxilla 1 inner plate with 1 long pectinate apical seta. Mandible, palp article 3 1.5 x length of article 2, posterior margin weakly falcate, posterior margin with setae of more than two distinct lengths.

Pereon. Pereonites without sternal spines. Gnathopod 1 enlarged in both sexes; coxa weakly produced anterodistally, rounded; basis robust, half or more as broad as long, anterodistal margin with strong flange; ischium anterior margin without flange, posterior margin with few setae; merus not greatly elongated, fused along its entire length with carpus, posterior margin with few setae, without posterodistal spine; carpus two thirds length of propodus, anterior margin without spine; posterior margin without spine; propodus anterior margin strongly setiferous, posterior margin sinuous, palm short, straight, delimited from posterior margin, by a broad, shallow excavation, defined by a robust seta, without spine near base of dactylus; dactylus half length of propodus, overlapping palm. Gnathopod 2 subchelate; basis anterodistal margin with flange and distal lobe, posterodistal margin without robust setae; with few setae along length of basis; merus not enlarged or produced away from carpus; carpus and propodus subequal in length, anterior margin not lobate, with long setae; carpus and propodus anterior margins with dense long setae, palm with robust seta defining palm. Pereopod 3 without brush of long setae on merus. Pereopod 6 basis not produced posterodistally. Pereopod 7 less than 125% length of pereopod 6.

Pleon. Epimeron 3 posterodistal margin rounded. Uropod 1 rami subequal, peduncle much longer than broad, distoventral spine less than one fifth length of peduncle. Uropod 2 biramous; peduncle with rudimentary distoventral spine, much less than one eighth length of peduncle. Uropod 3 biramous, rami distinctly unequal, endopod only a little longer than peduncle. Telson with distal fine setae only.

Female (sexually dimorphic characters). Based on paratype female, 4.5 mm, AM P75466 . Gnathopod 1 carpus a little over one half length of propodus; propodus palm oblique, convex, delimited by acute, triangular spine. Gnathopod 2 similar to that of male but less elongate, basis without strong anterodistal flange .

Habitat. Coral rubble.

Remarks. Globosolembos varanus sp. nov. is similar to G. rodriguensis Myers, 2004 from Rodrigues in the Indian Ocean, but differs in several significant ways. The female gnathopod 1 is quite different, that of G. rodriguensis lacking the strong acute spine on the posterior margin of the propodus of G. varanus . In the male gnathopod 1, the palm of G. varanus is straight and the shallow excavation terminates posteriorly in a weak protrusion. In G. rodriguensis , the male gnathopod 1 palm is weakly concave and the excavation terminated posteriorly in a subacute spine. Globosolembos varanus also resembles G. rimatara Myers, 2005 from the Austral Isles, but the male gnathopod 1 propodus of that species has a much deeper excavation and the carpus and propodus are much less elongate. Uropod 2 of G. rimatara lacks an distoventral spine, and the female gnathopod 1 propodus has a much less oblique palm and is delimited by a small obtuse process. G. lunatus from Victoria is also similar, but differs in the shorter male gnathopod 1 carpus, the weakly flanged basis of the male gnathopod 2, the strong distoventral distoventral spines on uropods 1 and 2, the extensive array of robust setae on the rami uropods 1 and 2 and the absence of a strong acute spine on the posterior margin of the propodus of the female.

Distribution. Australia. Queensland: Mermaid Cove, Lizard Island (current study).