Lunaceps nereis Timmermann, 1954

Gustafsson, Daniel R. & Olsson, Urban, 2012, 3377, Zootaxa 3377, pp. 1-85 : 49-51

Lunaceps nereis Timmermann, 1954

( Fig. 20a–d; Table 1)

Degeeriella actophilus (Kellogg and Chapman) ; Waterston, 1922: 253

Degeeriella actophilus (Kellogg and Chapman) ; Ferris, 1923: 11

Lunaceps nereis Timmermann, 1954a: 628

Lunaceps nereis Timmermann ; Malcomson, 1960: 191

Lunaceps holophaeus nereis Timmermann ; Emerson, 1972: 94

Lunaceps nereis Timmermann ; Price et al., 2003: 196 (partim)

Lunaceps nereis Timmermann ; Palma and Jensen, 2005: 56

Type host: Calidris maritima ( Brünnich, 1764) .

Other host: Calidris ptilocnemis ( Coues, 1873) , Calidris ptilocnemis couesi ( Ridgway, 1880) .

Diagnosis: Head wide and short ( Fig. 20a). Hyaline margin extremely narrow or missing. Marginal carina narrow and even along its length. Dorsal preantennal suture interrupted medially, but a more weakly coloured area surrounds its inner ends, and connects them. Ventral anterior plate small and quadratic (occasionally triangular). Ventral carina weakly coloured and narrow. Lateral nodus small. Dark preantennal band only a blotch near lateral sides of head. AVS3 and ADS more or less aligned, but AVS2 posterior to these. Marginal temporal carina dark at eye.

Abdominal tergites II–III in males and II–IV, sometimes V, in females with wedge-shaped median indentation of the anterior margin, reaching more than a third of the tergite width ( Fig. 20b). Paratergal plates broad, only marginally darker than tergites. Tergal heads large and blunt, but transparent. In males, the paratergal heads may be re-entrant and pointed in segment III. Ventral setae aligned with the anterior dorsal setae of segment II of both sexes.

Female genital lobes with 4–5 posterior marginal setae, 3 sub-marginal setae, and 5 median marginal setae ( Fig. 20c). Parameres slender with slight sudden bent ( Fig. 20d). Distal ends of mesomere broad, with convex lateral sides, and dorsal fingers slender and barely reaching anterior to the ventral blades. Lower endomere semicircular, with pointed postero-lateral edges, and connected to apodemal bridge by an indistinct triangle.

Nymphs: Marginal carina narrow and continuous around head. Ventral anterior plate continuous with ventral lateral plates. Dorsal preantennal suture bent and wide, enveloping the ADS, and continuing posteriorly to the preantennal nodi. Faint traces of transverse sutures appearing near preantennal nodi and continuing anteriorly and medially; these may be continuous with dorsal preantennal suture. Thorax similar to that of adults. Tergites and sternites transparent, but paratergal plates weakly pigmented. Intermediate setae similar to median setae in length and thickness in all segments.

Discussion: L. nereis is similar to L. schismatus sp. nov., with similar colouration and position of the ventral setae of abdominal segment II. However, L. nereis and L. schismatus sp. nov. differ in the preantennal area, with the former having a thinner marginal carina and a smaller ventral anterior plate. The overall shape of the head of L. nereis is rounder and stouter, with a narrower dorsal anterior plate.

Material from C. ptilocnemis is identical to that of C. maritima , and therefore is included in L. nereis , although only a few individuals are available. Both hosts inhabit similar environments, and are closely related ( Borowik and McLennan, 1999).

Etymology: From nerei = a sea nymph. Though Timmermann (1954a) gives no derivation to this name, it is probably attributable to the maritime habits of the host, which is often found on the smallest of rocks that barely reach above the waves.

Material examined:

Ex Calidris maritima (synonyms: Erolia maritima , Alipsa actophilus )

Holotype: ♂ 1, [ Sweden?:] Lapland , March 1938, Meinertzhagen Collection 11071-72 ( NHML).

Allotype: ♀ 1, [ Sweden?:] Lapland , March 1938, Meinertzhagen Collection 11071-72 ( NHML).

Paratypes: ♀ 6, ♂ 4, [ Sweden?:] Lapland , March 1938, Meinertzhagen Collection 11071-72 ( NHML) . ♀ 1, ♂ 3, United Kingdom: England: Norfolk, December 1934, Meinertzhagen Collection 2286 ( NHML) . ♀ 1, ♂ 2, United Kingdom: Scotland: Hebrides: South Uist , January 1934, Meinertzhagen Collection 104, 105, 130 ( NHML) . ♀ 8, ♂ 9, United Kingdom: Scotland: Tabaltness , December 1934, Meinertzhagen Collection 2346, 2366, 2364, 2368 ( NHML) .

Non-types: ♀ 5, ♂ 5, n#4, United Kingdom: Scotland: Skerryvore, 22 October 1990 ( MONZ) . ♀ 1, ♂ 1, Denmark: Faroes Islands : Nólsoy, 5 March 1999 ( MONZ) . ♀ 1, ♂ 1, Norway: Spitsbergen : Klaas Billen Bay, 15 August 1921, Spitzbergen Expedition, 1922-114 ( NHML) . ♀ 1, ♂ 2, n#1, Denmark: West Greenland, August 1955, Meinertzhagen Collection 20378, BM 1955-650 ( NHML) .

Ex Calidris ptilocnemis ♀ 1, ♂ 1, United Kingdom: Alaska : E. Killing Gd, 2 August 1964, K.C. Emerson Collection ( OSU) .

Ex Calidris ptilocnemis couesi ♀ 4, ♂ 1, United States: Alaska: Aleutian Isles: Amchitka, 10 March , 1959 ( NHML) .