Ampithoe kava Myers, 1985

Appadoo, C & Myers, A. A., 2004, Corophiidea (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from Mauritius, Records of the Australian Museum 56 (3), pp. 331-362 : 333-335

Ampithoe kava Myers

Ampithoe ramondi J.L. Barnard, 1970: 50 , figs. 18–19; not Amphithoe ramondi Audouin, 1826: 93 .

Ampithoe kava Myers, 1985a: 22 , fig. 15; 1986: 288.—Lyons & Myers, 1990: 1200, figs. 3–4.—Poore & Lowry, 1997: 909, figs. 6–9.

Material examined. 333, 8♀, AM P60553, from Padina sp. , La Cuvette (20°00'S 57°34.2'E), 14 May 1998; 433, 13♀♀, AM P60554, from Sargassum sp. , Bain Boeuf (19°59'S 57°36'E), 15 May 1998; 13, 2♀♀, AM P60555, from Turbinaria ornata, Bain Boeuf , 28 August 1998; 233, 2♀♀, 4 juv., AM P60556, 13, 7♀♀, AM P60557, from Sargassum binderi, La Cuvette , 28 August 1998; 13, 4♀♀, 4 juv., AM P60558, from Ile D’Ambre (20°02.2'S 57°42.2'E), 12 November 1998; 233, 1♀, AM P60559, from mixture of Sargassum sp. , Amphiroa sp. , Pocockiella variegata , Amphiroa sp. , Bain Boeuf, 16 June 1999; 13, 2♀♀, AM P60560, from Padina sp. , Hypnea cornuta and Ulva lactuca, Tamarin (20°19.5'S 57°22'E), 2 August 1999.

Diagnosis. Male antenna 2 peduncular articles 4 and 5 subequal; flagellum 10-articulate and shorter than length of peduncle article 5. Gnathopod 1 palm oblique. Gnathopod 2 basis, anterodistal lobe well developed with 5 stout setae; carpus subtriangular, 0.9× as long as broad; propodus 1.4× as long as broad, posterior margin produced into a short truncated thumb-like process separated from the palm by a narrow cleft, anterior margin with numerous groups of slender setae; dactylus short, stout, inner margin toothed. Pereopods 3–4 carpus short subquadrate, as long as broad. Pereopods 5–7 propodus with 4 robust setae on posterodistal margin. Uropod 1 peduncle, distal margin with welldeveloped rounded interramal spur. Telson subtriangular, distally rounded.

Female. Gnathopod 2 palmar margin weakly sinuous, posterodistal margin with 1 robust seta; dactylus fitting palm. Uropod 1 without interramal process.

Type locality. Taunovo Bay , Viti Levu, Fiji.

Distribution. Red Sea, Mauritius, Australia, Tonga, Fiji, Hawaii.

Habitat. Ampithoe kava lives mostly amongst brown algae, Sargassum sp. and Padina sp. and was collected at depths of less than 1 m. It occurs mostly on the north and east coast of the island.

Remarks. The material from Mauritius shows general agreement with the description given by Myers (1985a) from Fiji (the type locality) and with that of Poore & Lowry (1997) from Australia. A small difference is the number of robust setae on the anterodistal lobe of the basis in male gnathopod 2. In A. kava from Fiji, there are 3 robust setae in the 5 mm male as compared to 5 robust setae in the 3.8 mm male in this study.

This species resembles Ampithoe ramondi Audouin , but can be distinguished from it by the male gnathopod 2 having the thumb-like process on the palm separated from the palm by a narrow cleft as opposed to a round-bottomed excavation in A. ramondi , and by the presence in males of A. kava of a disto-ventral rounded spur on uropod 1 which is absent in A. ramondi . Other differences between the two species as highlighted by Myers (1985a) are, the shorter antenna 2 flagellum and the presence of striate robust setae in Ampithoe kava as opposed to non-striate robust setae on the propodus anterodistal margin in Ampithoe ramondi . This is the first record of the species from Mauritius.

Ampithoe kulafi .— Ledoyer, 1982: 120, fig. 39.—Appadoo & Steele, 1998: 639; not Ampithoe kulafi J.L. Barnard, 1965: 542 , fig. 34.

Type material. HOLOTYPE 3, 3.5 mm, AM P65839, from Sargassum sp. , Dictyota sp. and Turbinaria sp. , Roches Noires (20°6.2'S 57°44.5'E) at depths less than 1 m, C. Appadoo, 15 May 1998. PARATYPES, 13, 2.8 mm, AM P65841, 1♀, 2.8 mm, AM P65840, 13, AM P60584, 13, 3♀♀, AM P60585, same data as holotype; 13, AM P60586, from Gelidiella sp. , Albion (20°13'S 57°23.7'E), 22 October 1998; 233, 2♀♀, AM P60587, from Dictyota divaricata, Bain Boeuf (19°59'S 57°36'E), 10 February 1999; 13, AM

0.8× article 4, flagellum 14-articulate. Mandible palp slender, article 3 longer than 2 with two apical slender setae; article 2 without setae. Lower lip outer lobe narrow, deeply notched, with well-developed conical robust seta; mandibular lobe rounded. Maxilla 1 inner plate subtriangular with one short seta. Maxilla 2 inner plate narrower than outer. Maxilliped palp article 3 slightly expanded, article 4 conical and terminating in an unguis. Gnathopod 1 coxa subrectangular, 1.4× as long as broad, distal margin with minute setae; basis 3.3× as long as broad, with small anterodistal lobe; carpus 1.7× as long as broad, posterior margin sinuous; propodus 1.4× length of carpus, 2.2× as long as broad, palm oblique, evenly convex, with fine slender setae and 1 robust seta on posterodistal margin; dactylus inner margin toothed, overlapping palm. Gnathopod 2 coxa subrectangular, 1.2× as long as broad; basis 2.5× as long as broad, slender at base and expanded distally, anterodistal lobe weak with a few stout setae; carpus reduced, 3× as broad as long; propodus robust, 5.8× length of carpus, 1.3× as long as broad, palm sinuous; dactylus stout, falcate. Pereopods 3–4 coxa 1.5× as long as broad; basis moderately expanded, biconvex, 2.7× as long as broad, merus 1.7× as long as broad, anterior margin weakly expanded; carpus 1.8× as long as broad; propodus 2.8 as long as broad, dactylus relatively short. Pereopod 5 coxa with small posterior lobe; basis expanded, as long as broad; merus 1.8× as long as broad; carpus 1.8× as long as broad, propodus 3× as long as broad, posterodistal margin expanded with 4 robust setae, one of which is curved. Pereopods 6 and 7 (missing from described specimen; described from 2.8 mm male). Pereopod 6 basis slender, subrectangular, distally tapered, 2× as long as broad; carpus and merus slender, carpus 0.8× length of merus; propodus 1.4× length of carpus, distally expanded, with 4 robust setae on posterodistal margin. Pereopod 7 similar to pereopod 6 but basis 1.9× as long as broad, proximally expanded; merus, carpus and propodus slender. Epimera 1–3 posterodistal margin rounded. Uropod 1 peduncle 3.9× as long as broad, outer ramus 0.9× inner ramus. Uropod 2 outer ramus 0.9× inner ramus, 0.8× length of peduncle; both rami with several robust setae. Uropod 3 peduncle 2.4× as long as broad, distal margin with dorsal robust setae and a ventral group of slender setae; inner ramus subovate, with slender apical setae; outer ramus with 2 recurved robust setae. Telson subtriangular with few slender lateral and medial setae; telsonic cusps present on broadly rounded apex.

Female, 2.8 mm (ovigerous). Gnathopod 1 coxa 1.3× as long as broad; basis 3.2× as long as broad; carpus subtriangular, 1.8× as long as broad; propodus 1.4× length of carpus, palm oblique, evenly convex, with few slender setae and 1 robust seta at posterodistal margin; dactylus inner margin toothed. Gnathopod 2 coxa 1.5× as long as broad, anterodistal margin with short setae; basis 3.5× as long as broad, anterodistal lobe weak; carpus about as long as broad, posterior margin produced into a lobe; propodus 1.7× length of carpus, palm oblique with fine setae and 1 robust seta at posterodistal margin; dactylus inner margin toothed.

Distribution. Mauritius, Madagascar.

Habitat. Ampithoe lafkui was collected from brown and green algae at depths of less than 3 m. It was collected, in small numbers, from several sites around Mauritius and was moderately common at Ile D’Ambre where samples were taken from a mixture of algae, coral rubble and silt by diving.

Remarks. This species closely resembles Ampithoe kulafi J.L. Barnard (1965) , but differs in the rounded (rather than acute) anterodistal margin of coxa 1, in the more slender basis of pereopods 6 and 7 and in lacking a seta on article 2 of the mandible palp. The male gnathopod 2 propodus differs subtly in shape, the palm is weakly sinuous in A. lafkui , whereas in A. kulafi , it is non-sinuous. This species is synonymous with the material described under the name Ampithoe kulafi by Ledoyer (1982).