Austromaera mastersii (Haswell, 1879a)

(Fig. 1)

Megamaera mastersii Haswell, 1879a: 265, pl. 11, fig. 1.— Haswell, 1882: 258.— Haswell, 1885: 105.

Maera mastersii .— Stebbing, 1899: 426.— Stebbing, 1906: 439.— Stebbing, 1910a: 642.—? Chilton, 1921b: 72 (southern Australia).

Not Moera mastersii .— Chilton, 1911: 564 (Kermadec Islands) (= L. tias Krapp-Schickel, 2003, according to Krapp-Schickel, 2003).

Not Maera mastersi .— Thomson, 1882: 235 (in part, part = M. quadrimana) (New Zealand).— Sheard, 1936: 177, fig. 3 (South Australia) (= L. tias Krapp-Schickel, 2003, according to Krapp-Schickel, 2003).— Sheard, 1937: 24 (South Australia) (= L. tias Krapp-Schickel, 2003, according to Krapp-Schickel, 2003).— Sivaprakasam, 1969: 36, fig. 1 a–g (= L. mannarensis (Sivaprakasam, 1970), according to Krapp-Schickel, 2003).— J.L. Barnard, 1972a: 226, fig. 132 (southern Australia) (= L. leo Krapp-Schickel, 2003, according to Krapp-Schickel, 2003).— J.L. Barnard, 1972b: 109, figs 55–56 (New Zealand) (= L. tias Krapp-Schickel, 2003, according to Krapp-Schickel, 2003).— Ledoyer, 1979: 77, fig. 44 [= Zygomaera pseudemarginata (Ledoyer, 1983) (Madagascar)].— Lowry & Fenwick, 1983: 236 (New Zealand subantarctic) (=? L. tias Krapp-Schickel, 2003, according to Krapp-Schickel, 2003).

Not Maera mastersii .— Chevreux, 1908: 481 (French Polynesia).— Stebbing, 1910b: 457 (South Africa).— Chilton, 1916: 367 (New Zealand).— Chilton, 1925: 317 (Chatham Islands, New Zealand).— Hale, 1929: 215, fig. 213 (figure = L. thomsoni (Miers, 1884)) (South Australia) (= L. tias Krapp-Schickel, 2003, according to Krapp-Schickel, 2003).— Hurley, 1954: 603 (New Zealand) (= L. tias Krapp-Schickel, 2003, according to Krapp-Schickel, 2003).— Griffiths, 1974: 291 (South Africa).— J.L. Barnard, 1962: 99 (key).

Material examined. Western Australia: 6 specimens, AM P.79458, Bramble Point, Princess Royal Harbour (35°02'S 117°55'E), 1 m, seagrass Posidonia australis, diver-held corer, January 1988, coll. P.A. Hutchings et al. (Site 4) ; 2 specimens, P.79459, Bramble Point, Princess Royal Harbour (35°2'S 117°55'E), 1 m, seagrass Poisidonia australis, January 1988, coll. P.A. Hutchings et al. ; 1 specimen, AM P.79460, Quaranup Jetty, Princess Royal Harbour, (35°03'S 117°55'E), 1 m, seagrass Posidonia sinuosa, January 1988, coll. P.A. Hutchings et al. ; 31 specimens, AM P.79419, near Mistaken Island, Vancouver Peninsula, King George Sound (35°4'S 117°56'E), 6 m, sea grass, 13 December 1983, coll. R.T. Springthorpe (WA 121).

New South Wales: 1 specimen, AM P.85535, south-west side of Boondelbah Island, east of Port Stephens (32°42'30"S 152°13'32"E), 20 m, under stones airlift on SCUBA, 10 March 2006, coll. R.T. Springthorpe (MI NSW 2914) .

Type locality. Port Jackson, New South Wales, Australia (approx. 33°50.9'S 151°16.2'E).

Remarks. This is the first record of A. mastersii from along the Western Australian coast.

Distribution. Western Australia: Princess Royal Harbour, King George Sound (current study). New South Wales: Bottle and Glass Rocks and Wy-ar-gine Point, Port Jackson; Marys Rock, Cook Island (Haswell 1879a; Lowry & Springthorpe 2005; current study).