Quadrimaera miranda (Ruffo, Krapp-Schickel & Gable, 2000)

White, Kristine N. & Sir, Sally J., 2024, Caribbean Amphipoda (Crustacea) of Panama. Part II: parvorder Hadziidira, ZooKeys 1195, pp. 249-296 : 249

Quadrimaera miranda (Ruffo, Krapp-Schickel & Gable, 2000)

Figs 13 , 28F

Maera miranda Ruffo, Krapp & Gable, 2000: 15-19, figs 7, 8; LeCroy 2000: 101, fig. 148.

Quadrimaera miranda : Krapp-Schickel and Ruffo 2000: 195-196.

Maera quadrimana (non Dana 1853): Ledoyer 1986) 190-191, fig. 11.

Material examined.

Panama • 4-7 mm • 1 ♂, 3 ♀; Bocas del Toro, Swan Cay ; 9.453333°N, 82.298333°W; depth 2-3 m; among coral rubble; 4 Aug 2005; S. DeGrave leg.; GCRL 6643 • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Bocas del Toro, Hospital Bight; 9.304483°N, 82.172317°W; depth 0.5 m, among coral rubble; 7 Aug 2005; T.A. Haney leg.; GCRL 6644 • 2 ♀; Bocas del Toro, 100 m west of STRI dock; depth 14 m, light trap; 8 Aug 2005; T.A. Haney leg.; GCRL 6645 • 1 ♀; Bocas del Toro, STRI mangroves; 9.353333°N, 82.2578°W; depth 1 m, among Ecteinascidia turbinata ascidians, 11 Aug 2021; K.N. White leg.; USNM 1703522 • 1 ♂; Bocas del Toro, Crawl Cay; 9.245967°N, 82.136867°W; depth 1-4 m, among Halimeda , 25 June 2023; K.N. White leg.; USNM 1703523 • 3 ♀; Bocas del Toro, Hospital Point; 9.333383°N, 82.218467°W; depth 0 m, buoy scraping, 26 June 2023; K.N. White leg.; USNM 1703524 • 1 ♂, 3 ♀; Bocas del Toro, STRI dock; 9.351183°N, 82.257033°W; depth 0-1 m, dock scraping, 27 June 2023; K.N. White leg.; USNM 1703525 .

Diagnosis.

Antenna 1 accessory flagellum 6-articulate. Gnathopod 1 coxa anteroventrally rounded; carpus with minute dorsal depression and two short and three long facial setal rows. Gnathopod 2 propodus palmar margin with subrectangular projection followed by a small U-shaped excavation and one short, truncate process, palm defined by small projection; dactylus medially expanded with median point. Telson lobes apically truncate, each with five long apical spines.

Distribution.

Bermuda: St. George’s Parish, Sandy’s Parish ( Ruffo et al. 2000); U.S.A.: Pigeon Key, FL; Turks and Caicos, Twin Cay; Netherlands Antilles: Bonaire; Lesser Antilles: St. Martin; Venezuela: Tobago Island, Los Roques Island; Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, Ilha de Fortaleza; Mexico: Yucatán ( Krapp-Schickel and Ruffo 2000), Laguna de Terminos ( Ledoyer 1986); Panama: Bocas del Toro (present study).

Ecology and remarks.

These amphipods are associated with algae, sponges, ascidians, and coral rubble at depths of 0-15 m. Panamanian specimens closely resemble previously described specimens of this species and can be readily distinguished from other species based on the gnathopod 2 palm ornamentation and broadened dactylus.

Figures

Figure 13. Quadrimaera miranda, male, 3.3 mm, pereopod 7, gnathopod 1 propodus, carpus, dactylus medial, telson; male, 2.8 mm, gnathopod 2 lateral, coxa 1. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

Figure 28. Photographs of live specimens unless noted A Elasmopus pocillimanus B Elasmopus thomasi C Meximaera diffidentia D Quadrimaera ceres (ethanol preserved specimen) E Quadrimaera cristianae F Quadrimaera miranda G Quadrimaera quadrimana. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.