Eulimnadia taroomaensis, Brian V Timms, 2016

Brian V Timms, 2016, A partial revision of the Australian Eulimnadia Packard, 1874 (Branchiopoda: Spinicaudata: Limnadiidae), Zootaxa 4066 (4), pp. 351-389 : 379-380

Eulimnadia taroomaensis sp. nov.

( Figs.9 G,16)

Etymology. The species is named after the major town, Taroom, in the region where it was collected.

Type locality. Queensland, 50 km N of Taroom on Fitzroy Development Rd, an unnamed lagoon, 25o 13’ 58”S, 149o 35’ 4”E, 13 February 2010, BVT.

Type material. Holotype. Female, deposited in the Australian Museum, Sydney, length 7.0 mm, height, 4.8 mm, registration number AM P97816.

Paratypes. Two females, deposited in the Australian Museum, Sydney, 7.2 mm x 5.0 mm and 6.7 mm x 4.6 mm, registration number AM P97817.

Other material. Seven females, Queensland, 50 km N of Taroom on Fitzroy Development Rd, an unnamed lagoon, 25o 13’ 58”S, 149o 35’ 4”E, 13 February 2010, BVT & MS, AM P97818, one female, same site and date, noted as Lia42,H8 of Schwentner 2015, AMP 91995.

Diagnosis. The egg is the most distinctive feature, having about 28 steep sided, flatish floored polygons without adornment on their rounded ridges. Tertiary layer spongiform and ridge surface microporous. Sixteen even sized and spaced telsonic spines, except first and last, 14 cercopod setae gradually decreasing in length posteriorly.

Description. Egg ( Fig 10 H) spherical, ca 133 Μm in diameter (range 125–142 Μm, (n = 5) with about 28 polygons, each with almost vertical walls and a saucer-shaped floor. Surface of floors smooth but ridge surfaces microporous. Tertiary layer spongiform. No macrosurface adornments.

Hermaphrodite. Head ( Fig 16 B) with prominent ocular tubercle with a round compound eye occupying most (ca 80%) of it. Rostrum an evenly rounded protrusion larger in volume than the ocular tubercle, but not protruding as much. Ocellus centrally placed in rostrum, about size of eye. Dorsal organ posterior to eye by about its height, pedunculate and with a flattened apex at about a 70o angle to the peduncle and subequal in height to the ocular tubercle.

First antennae subequal in length to the second antenna peduncle, and with about 5 lobes each with numerous tiny sensory setae.

Second antennae with spinose peduncle and each flagella with 9 antennomeres, dorsally with 1–5 spines and ventrally with 2–5 long setae. Spines most numerous on antennomeres 2–5, and setae most numerous on antennomeres 4–9.

Carapace ( Fig 16 A) elongate oval, transparent brown and much vaulted dorsally with maximum height about 1/3 from the anterior. A few growth lines visible.

Thoracopods. Eighteen pairs of typical structure for Eulimnadia , decreasing in size and complexity posteriorly.

Trunk dorsum with 3–9 setae terminally on most segments; these setae few, short and stout on last few segments, numerous and longer on segments 8–15 and hardly any setae on anterior trunk segments.

Telson with about 16 dorsal spines, the first about 1.5 times the subsequent few, followed by many approximately equal in size and spacing. Most spines clothed in denticles. Caudal filaments originating between 3rd and 4th spine from a mound a little higher than dorsal floor. Posterior to the mound dorsal floor sloping evenly to base of cercopods. Cercopods weakly convex, bearing about 14 long setae on basal 75%, then a small spine and distal 25% narrowing to an sharp apex and bearing a cirrus of many small denticles dorsolaterally. Basal setae about 2.5x cercopod diameter decreasing to 1.5 times distally; all setae evenly feathered on both segments. Spiniform projection at ventroposterior corner of telson.

Variability. Based on an examination of just a few specimens, telsonic spines are known to vary between 16 and 18, though in all cases they were evenly spaced and sized, except the first. In some specimens the spines are denticulated, in others naked. Cercopod setae ranged from 14–16, and were always long basally (2.5 cercopod diameter), shortening a little distally. In some specimens (e.g. holotype) the cercopods were convex, but in most specimens they were straight. No variation as noted in the number of antennomeres (always 9) and first antennal lobes (always 5).

Comments. All the females examined looked mature with their vaulted dorsal edge, and filamentous algae growing on the carapace surface. Their older apparent age could have influenced their colouration. This is species M of Schwentner et al. (2015). The lack of males could indicate androdioecy (Weeks et al., 2008) or perhaps even hermaphroditism.

Distribution and ecology. This species occurs in at least one of many lagoons lateral to river systems in the Taroom district. Judged from subsequent visits these are generally much shallower than encountered in 2010, an abnormally wet La Nina year. It is possible their occurrence is episodic associated with these wet years, just like some large branchiopods in seasonal lakes near Esperance, WA, subject to rare extreme weather conditions ( Timms, 2009).

Figures

FIGURE 9. Eulimnadia eggs. A, E. contraria sp. nov. (Lake Dunn, Qld); B, E. gnammaphila Kooyoora, Vic); C, E. gnammaphila (Peela, SA); D, E. gnammaphila (Yanneymooning, WA); E. hansoni (Bloodwood, NSW); F, E. pinocchionis (Karratha, WA), G, E. taroomaensis (Taroom, Qld), H, E. uluruensis (Uluru, NT); enlargement of portion of egg of E. uluruensis. Scale bars 1 mm, except I for which the bar = 0.01 mm.

FIGURE 10. Eulimnadia contraria sp. nov. Lake Dunn, Qld .. A, female carapace; B, female telson, C, female head and antennae. Scale bars 1 mm.

FIGURE 16. Eulimnadia taroomaensis sp. nov. Taroom, Qld. A, female carapace; B, female head and antennae; C & D, female telson. Scale bars 1 mm. A – C from types AM P 97817; D from AM P 91995.