Manipontonis psamathe (De Man, 1902 )

Bruce, A. J., 2008, Palaemonoid shrimps from the Australian north west shelf, Zootaxa 1815, pp. 1-24 : 9

Manipontonis psamathe (De Man, 1902)

Urocaris psamathe De Man, 1902: 816–822 , pl. 25 fig. 51.

Periclimenes (Ancylocaris) psamathe – Kemp, 1922: 173.

Manipontonia psamathe – Bruce, Okuno & Li, 2005: 1–11 , figs. 1–3.

Material examined. (i) 1 ♂ (?), CL 2.6, CMAR Cruise SS05 2007, stn 188, 123.6008°S; 12.445°E; 95m, beam trawl; 17 May 2007, QM W 28401. (ii) 1 ovig. ♀, CL 3.0, CMAR Cruise SS05 2007, stn 172, 124.011° S; 13.4565° E, 105m, beam trawl; 16 May 2007, QM W 28402 .

Remarks. (i) epigastric spine abraded, distal rostrum missing, with right (major) second pereiopod only,. chela quite smooth, not finely-tuberculate, without ambulatory pereiopods. (ii) without second pereiopods. Fresh colouration noted as “Red-brown distal two thirds of rostrum and basal antennal segments, red spot on upper side of abdomen at bend”. Commonly found in association with a wide range of gorgonians and hydroids ( Bruce, Okuno and Li, 2005). The above record from 105 metres is the greatest depth from which this species has so far been reported: previously known from only 82.3–84.1m ( Bruce, 1979) in the South China Sea.

Distribution. Not previously reported from the North West Shelf region. In Australia reported from Western Australia: Rob Roy Reef, Cassini Island, Jesseux Island, Gibbings Reefs, Macleay Island, Kimber- leys (as Periclimenes psamate, Berggren, 1997 ); Queensland: Magnetic Island ( Zann, 1980); Heron Island ( Bruce, 1981 a,1983; Bruce, Okuno and Li, 2005, 27 m); Wistari Reef ( Bruce, 1981a). Otherwise reported from Kenya, Zanzibar, Tanganyika, Madagascar, Seychelle Islands, Maldive Islands, Chagos Islands, Singapore, Malaya, Indonesia, China, South China Sea, Japan, Phillipines, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Caroline Islands, and Marshall Islands.