Grandidierella bonnieroides Stephensen, 1947

Appadoo, C & Myers, A. A., 2004, Corophiidea (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from Mauritius, Records of the Australian Museum 56 (3), pp. 331-362 : 353-354

Grandidierella bonnieroides Stephensen

Grandidierella bonnieroides Stephensen, 1948: 12 , fig. 3.— Myers, 1970: 141, fig. 1–2.—1972: 790.— Asari & Myers, 1982: 252, figs. 9–10.— Ledoyer, 1982: 245, fig. 89.

Grandidierella bonnieri .—Appadoo & Steele, 1998: 640.

Material examined. 733, 12♀♀, AM P60856, from Acanthophora spicifera, Anse la Raie (19°59.5'S 57°37.5'E), 15 May 1998. 733, 8♀♀, AM P60857, from Ulva lactuca and Ulva reticulata, Le Bouchon (20°28'S 57°40.5'E), 27 October 1998.

Diagnosis. Sternal process present on pereon segment 1. Coxal plates discontinuous, broader than deep. Antenna 2 robust, articles 4 and 5 subequal, flagellum 5-articulate. Gnathopod 1 carpus slender, subquadrate, 1.7× as long as broad, with parallel anterior and posterior margins, posterior margin with few setae, inner face of carpus with a small process, distal margin with a medial finger-like process followed by a strong process on the posterodistal margin; propodus subquadrate, 2.5× as long as broad, anterior and posterior margins appear parallel; dactylus robust, inner margin crenulate with robust setae. Gnathopod 2 carpus, subovate, 2× as long as broad; propodus subrectangular, 0.6× length of carpus. Uropod 3 uniramous, ramus slightly over twice as long as peduncle, slender, 5× as long as broad with setae on margins and on distal end. Telson with two medial and one distal setae on each side.

Female, gnathopod 1 carpus 2.3× as long as broad, propodus medially expanded, slightly shorter than carpus, palm oblique.

Variation. In younger males (e.g., 2.8 mm) the sternal process is not developed. The gnathopod 1 carpus anterior margin is more convex and appears globular, distal fingerlike process poorly developed; the propodus is 2× as long as broad, inner margin is more convex with strong groups of setae; dactylus is slender and inner margin is toothed with short setae.

Type locality. Salinja Paloe Lechi , Bonaire .

Habitat. Grandidierella bonnieroides was collected from depths less than 1 m on the north, east and south coasts of the island. It lives mostly amongst the green alga, Ulva sp. and red algae. It was very abundant at one site on the southeast coast, Le Bouchon, a site characterized by claylike suspended matter in seawater and extensive green algae.

Distribution. Madagascar, Mauritius, India, Bonaire, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico.

Remarks. The present material agrees with the description given by Asari & Myers (1982: 252, fig. 9–10). One small difference being the uropod 3 peduncle, which is broader in the material described by Asari & Myers (1982). The present material also agrees with the description given by Ledoyer (1982: 245, fig. 89) where the uropod 3 peduncle is slender. Two sternal processes are illustrated by Ledoyer (1982: 246, fig. 89), but only one is observed in the current material. Myers (1970: 138–139, fig. 2) points out that there may be considerable variation in the relative development of sternal processes on pereon segments 1 and 2 when he reviewed material of G. bonnieroides from the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.