Nicippe rogeri, Lörz, Anne-Nina & Schnabel, Kareen, 2015

Lörz, Anne-Nina & Schnabel, Kareen, 2015, A new amphipod Nicippe rogeri sp. nov. (Crustacea, Pardaliscidae) from New Zealand’s deep sea, Zootaxa 3995 (1) : -

Nicippe rogeri sp. nov.

( FigS 1–3 )

Material examined: Holotype - female ( NIWA 8314), 11.3 mm, 43.507– 43.510 °S, 178.648– 178.635°E, St. V361, 340– 345 m, Agassiz Trawl, 0 6 September 1989.

Etymology. Nicippe rogeri sp. nov. is dedicated to Roger Bamber, in acknowledgement of his dedication to the taxonomy and systematics of marine arthropods. It is with thanks from NIWA in Wellington, New Zealand, to him for his help in identifying our holdings of tanaids and pycnogonids and providing taxonomic training to staff at the NIWA Invertebrate Collection. We highly appreciate his pleasant company, as mentor and friend, and on fieldtrips such as Moreton Bay.

Description. Head without any trace of eyes or ommatidea; with short rostrum; lateral cephalic lobe not acute. Pereon segments 2–6 subequal in length, slightly shorter than segment 1; segment 7 longest, about 1.5 times length of previous segment. Pleon segments 1–3 subequal in length. Epimeral plates 2–3 posteroventrally subquadrate. Urosomite 1–3 subequal in length (U1: U2: U 3 = 1.0: 0.8: 1.2). Urosomite 1 with a strong pointed tooth extending beyond the posterior segmental margin; small pointed process ventrally at insertion of uropod 1. Urosomites 2–3 smooth, without dorsal teeth.

Antenna 1 slightly longer than antenna 2; peduncular articles 1: 2: 3 lengths proportions are 1: 0.6: 0.3; accessory flagellum 3-articulate. Antenna 2 peduncular article 3 about twice as wide as article 4; articles 4–5 subequal in length. Labrum wider than long, medially excavated with right lobe longer than left one.

Both mandibles with a sharp incisor with projecting tooth posteriorly; left lacinia mobilis wide, with dentate cutting edge, on the right mandible spine-like; mandibular palp 3-articulate, article 3 same length though thinner than article 2, article 2–3 with long setae on ventral margin. Maxilla 1 outer plate with seven apical spine-teeth, the lateral one strongest and longest; palp 2-articulate, second article expanded distally, with apical row of short spinelike setae; inner plate small with one apical seta. Maxilla 2 lobes subequal in length, with row of setae on medial margin; both lobes with long apical plumose setae. Maxilliped inner lobes narrow and pointed with long apical setae; outer plate slender, extending up the distal margin of palp article 1, with setae along medial margin; palp long, robust, article 2 longest and widest, densely covered with setae posteromarginally; article 4 slender with serrate inner margin.

Coxal plates 2–4 nearly as wide as long, the remaining are distinctly wider than long, not much overlapping. Gnathopod 1 coxa with rounded anterior projecting lobe; basis expanded distally, anterior margin widened and flat, posterior margin with a few scattered setae; ischium triangular, subequal in length to merus; carpus with wide, rounded ventrally projecting lobe, with long setae posteromarginally; propodus about as wide as carpus, tapering distally, straight palm with long setae; dactylus slender, slightly curved. Gnathopod 2 coxa rounded, nearly subquadrate; compared to that of gnathopod 1, propodus and dactylus of similar shape, subequal in length.

Pereopods 3–4 similar in shape and length; coxa 3–4 subequal to coxa 2; basis slender, anterior margin straight, posterior margin weakly convex; ischium small with anteromarginal notch; merus expanded distally, anterodistal angle subacute and drawn out; carpus as wide as merus, anterior margin of carpus convex, posterior margin straight; propodus slender, about 0.5 x width of carpus; dactylus long, just over half as long as propodus, slender and weakly curved.

Pereopod 5 much shorter than 6 but of similar shape; pereopod 7 longest, slightly surpassing ends of all uropods. Pereopod 5 coxa bilobate, anterior lobe stronger and slightly longer; basis posterior margin slightly convex, posteroventral corner subquadrate anterodistally lobate; ischium shortest with anteromarginal notch; merus: carpus: propodus relative lengths = 1: 0.7: 0.9; dactylus slender and straight, longer than on pereopods 3–4, 0.75 the length of propodus.

Pereopod 6 coxa shallowly bilobate, both lobes alike; basis more than 0.1 times longer compared to pereopod 5, subequal to peraeopod 7 basis; merus: carpus: propodus relative lengths = 1.0: 0.8: 1.2; dactylus as for pereopod 5, 0.5 times the length of propodus.

Pereopod 7 coxa slightly shorter than peraeopod 6 coxa, slightly tapering posteriorly; basis distally tapering, posterior margin convex, anterodistally lobate; merus: carpus: propodus relative lengths = 1: 1.1: 1.4.

Pleopod rami each with more than 25 articles.

Uropod 1 peduncle slightly longer than rami, distolateral peduncular tooth very strong; outer ramus somewhat longer than inner ramus; medial rami margins bordered with relatively long spine-like setae, with stout spine at tip of both rami. Uropod 2 of similar shape as uropod 1, but both peduncle and rami shorter than on preceding appendage; distolateral peduncular tooth about half the length of that on uropod 1, situated rather dorsally; rami subequal with long spine-like setae. Uropod 3 peduncle with lobate, unarmed ridge dorsally; rami subequal in length; medial margins of both rami with very few short setae.

Telson deeply cleft (almost down to the base) with straight margins of incision, with very few setae laterally on both sides; apex of each telson lobe incised, lateral part of apex slightly longer than medial part.

Distribution. So far only known from the central Chatham Rise, New Zealand, 340– 345 m.

Remarks. Nicippe rogeri sp. nov. can easily be distinguished from its congeners N. buchi and N. tumida by showing a distinct and strong dorsodistal tooth on urosomite 1 (unarmed in N. buchi and with small bidentate process in N. tumida ). N. unidentata and N. rogeri sp. nov. share a single strong distodorsal tooth on urosomite 1, but they can be separated by uropod 3 peduncle with three dorsoapical teeth in N. unidentata . The pereonites 1–4 are subequal in length and the distal pereonites of N. rogeri sp. nov. are comparably longer. Pereonite 5 is the longest in N. unidentata (pereonite 1 is distinctly longer than pereonites 2–6, pereonite 7 is longest in N. rogeri sp. nov.).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Nicippe rogeri sp. nov. holotype 11.3 mm, female (NIWA 8314). A, habitus, lateral; B, antenna 1; C, antenna 2; D, maxilliped; E, mandible; F, maxilla 2; G, maxilla 1; H, labrum. Scale bars: A – C 1 mm, D – H 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 2. Nicippe rogeri sp. nov. holotype 11.3 mm, female (NIWA 8314). A, left gnathopod 1; B, C, right gnathopod 2; D, left gnathopod 2; E, pereopod 4; F, pereopod 5; G, pereopod 6; H, pereopod 7. Scale bars: A – D 0.5 mm, E – H 1 mm.

FIGURE 3. Nicippe rogeri sp. nov. holotype 11.3 mm, female (NIWA 8314). A, pleopod 1; B, left uropod 1; C, right uropod 1 (broken); D, uropod 2 (broken); E, uropod 3; F, telson, urosomite 3 and uropod 3, dorsal view. Scale bars: A 1 mm, B – F 0.5 mm.