Curidia knoxi, Lowry & Myers, 2003

Lowry, J. K. & Myers, A. A., 2003, New Amphipod Crustaceans From The Indo-West Pacific (Amathillopsidae: Eusiridae: Iphimediidae), Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 51 (2), pp. 219-256 : 250

Curidia knoxi , new species

( Figs. 30 , 31 )

Material examined. – Holotype – female (ovigerous), 3.7 mm, AM P54120, west side of Main Island , 48 07’S 166 38’E, The Snares, New Zealand subantarctic, bryozoans and sponges on lobster pot, 146 m, coll. C.E. Holmes and D.S. Horning on FV President Kennedy, 26 Nov.1974.

Paratypes – 2 females (ovigerous), AM P54121 ; 1 female (ovigerous), AM P54122 ; 3 females (ovigerous), AM P54123 ; all material collected from the type locality.

Type locality. – West side of Main Island, 48 07’S 166 38’E, The Snares, New Zealand subantarctic, bryozoans and sponges on lobster pot, 146 m.

Description. – Head laterocephalic margin with an acute spine, ventrolateral corner narrowly rounded; eyes round or ovate. Antenna 1 peduncular article 1, distoventral spine, as long as peduncular article 2; peduncular article 2 short, about 1.1 x as long as broad, distoventral spine, much longer than peduncular article 3. Antenna 2 peduncular article 4 with distoventral spine reaching about half way along article 5; article 5 with short distoventral spine. Mandible molar reduced. Maxilla 1 palp reduced, 1-articulate, with a long apical seta. Maxilliped palp present, with 1 article, with a long apical seta.

Pereon. Body with sharply raised pereonal carina forming a dorsal keel, without spines or lateral plaques, pleon with very small mid-dorsal processes. Pereonite 1 enlarged, produced over head. Gnathopod 1 coxa straight, ventrally rounded. Gnathopod 2 coxa ventrally rounded; carpus weakly lobate posterodistally along propodus. Pereopod 3 coxa long, ventrally rounded. Pereopod 4 coxa short, ventrally rounded. Pereopod 6 coxa posteroventral corner subquadrate. Pereonite 7 with a small apically acute dorsodistal spine.

Pleon. Pleonite 1 with a small apically subquadrate dorsodistal carina. Pleonite 2 with a small apically rounded dorsodistal carina. Pleonite 3 with a narrow apically rounded mid-dorsal carina. Epimeron 1 posteroventral corner rounded. Epimeron 2 posteroventral corner rounded. Epimeron 3 posterior margin excavate, posteroventral corner produced into a curved spine. Telson apically acute.

Remarks. – Curidia knoxi differs from the other three Curidia species in the short distoventral spine on antenna 2 peduncular article 4, which is only half length of article 5, whereas it is two thirds the length or longer than article 5 in the other species. Both C. magellanica and C. debrogania also have a very long distoventral spine on antenna 2 peduncular article 5, whereas it is absent or rudimentary in C. knoxi and C. ramonae .

Distribution. – New Zealand subantarctic.

Etymology. – Named for Professor George Knox, in recognition of his contribution to the biogeography of this area.

Figures

Fig. 30. Curidia knoxi, new species, female, 3.7 mm, AM P54120, The Snares, New Zealand. Scale bar = 0.1mm.

Fig. 31. Curidia knoxi, new species, female, 3.7 mm, AM P54120, The Snares, New Zealand. Scale bar = 0.1mm.