Periclimenes tenuirostris Bruce, 1991

Bruce, A. J., 2008, Palaemonoid shrimps from the Australian north west shelf, Zootaxa 1815, pp. 1-24 : 14-15

Periclimenes tenuirostris Bruce, 1991

( Fig. 8, 14C)

Periclimenes tenuirostris Bruce, 1991a: 247–253 , figs. 13–16. – Bruce, 1991b: 315. – Li, 2000: 241–242, fig. 320. – Okuno & Imazeki, in press, figs 1–2.

Material examined. 1 ovig. ♀, CL 4.4, stn 116–002, 121.0466° S; 16.7526° E; 100 m, sled tow; 30 June 2007, QM W 28404 .

Diagnosis: A species of the aesopius species group, rostrum slender, straight, upwardly directed, exceeding distal margin of proximal segment of antennular peduncle; dentition 7–8/2–3, carapace with postorbital rostral tooth, third abdominal tergum posterodorsally strongly subcarinate, first pereiopods with dactylus longer than palm; ambulatory dactyls biunguiculate.

Colouration ( Fig. 14C). (From colour photo). Body and appendages mainly transparent, rostrum and antennae transparent, carapace sparsely spotted with small red dots, abdomen transparent with small red media spot dorsally on second abdominal tergite, third tergite with anterior median dorsal red spot posterior carina with feeble preterminal transverse red bar, posterior border of sixth segment bright red, ventral abdomen sparsely spotted with red, uropodal protopod and proximal rami red, distal exopod with large bluish ocellar spot, distal telson white (?), first and second pereiopods with fingers, distal carpus and distal merus deep purple-blue, otherwise transparent or possibly whitish, ambulatory pereiopods transparent.

Remarks. The single specimen has epigastric spine abraded, the tip of rostrum is missing, with a dentition of 7/2, slightly exceeding the antennular peduncle, about subequal to CL ( Fig. 8A), with both first and second pereiopods, right second pereiopod detached, and with 3 attached ambulatory pereiopods. It agrees well with earlier descriptions. The second pereiopod fingers are subequal to the palm length and unarmed, the carpi are also subequal to the palm length. The third abdominal tergite ( Fig. 8B) is subcarinate, strongly convex, and acutely produced.

Periclimenes tenuirostris has also been reported from Japanese reefs at a depth of 48m (Okuno &. Imazeki, 2008). The Japanese specimen has the rostrum markedly longer than the postorbital carapace length, more aciculate, and extending well beyond the antennular peduncle. The profile of the third abdominal segment is more rounded and less angularly produced. It was found in association with Dofleinia armata Wassilieff.

Distribution. New to Australian fauna. Known from La Réunion, South China Sea, Japan, Philippines, New Caledonia, Fijian Islands and Norfolk Ridge. Bathymetric range extends from 73–150 metres.