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).

Figures

FIGURE 37. Globosolembos varanus sp. nov., holotype, male, 4.5 mm, AM P71210, Mermaid Cove, Lizard Island.

FIGURE 38. Globosolembos varanus sp. nov., holotype, male, 4.5 mm, AM P71210, paratype female, 4.0 mm, AM P75466, Mermaid Cove, Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef.