Ampithoe kulafi Barnard, 1970

Peart, R. A. & Hughes, L. E., 2013, Ampithoid amphipods from the South Pacific: Papua New Guinea, French Polynesia and New Caledonia, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 48 (13 - 14), pp. 739-861 : 746-751

Ampithoe kulafi Barnard, 1970

( Figures 5–8 )

Pleonexes sp. J .L. Barnard, 1965, p. 542 –543, fig. 34.

Ampithoe kulafi J.L. Barnard, 1970 ; Sivaprakasam, 1971, pp. 77–79, fig. 6. J.L. Barnard, 1979; Ledoyer, 1973, p. 26, pl. 1. Ledoyer, 1979b: 146, fig. 31. Conlan, 1982; Myers, 1985, pp. 40–42, fig. 29. Barnard and Karaman, 1991; Myers, 1997; Ortiz and Lalana, 1999; Ren, 2001, 2006, pp. 210–212, fig. 78.

Pleonexes kulafi . Myers, 1986b: 287. Myers, 1989, 1995b: 38.

not Ampithoe kulafi Ledoyer, 1982, pp. 120–121 , fig. 39. ( A. lafkui Appadoo and Myers 2004 ).

Type locality

Ifaluk Atoll, Caroline Islands, Pacific Ocean.

Material examined

Papua New Guinea: Male 4.1 mm, dissected, three slides, AM P.82824, gully in south entrance of Dam Awan, Madang Lagoon (5 ◦ 09 ′ 16 ′′ S, 145 ◦ 49 ′ 52 ′′ E), no depth, rubble and sediment, 22 February 1990, coll. J.D. Thomas (JDT / PNG-57); female 4.2 mm, dissected, one slide, AM P.82825, gully in south entrance of Dam Awan, Madang Lagoon (5 ◦ 09 ′ 16 ′′ S, 145 ◦ 49 ′ 52 ′′ E), no depth, rubble and sediment, 22 February 1990, coll. J.D. Thomas (JDT / PNG-57); several specimens, AM P.82714, gully in south entrance of Dam Awan, Madang Lagoon (5 ◦ 09 ′ 16 ′′ S, 145 ◦ 49 ′ 52 ′′ E), no depth, rubble and sediment, 22 February 1990, coll. J.D. Thomas (JDT / PNG-57) .

New Caledonia: Male 6.0 mm, dissected, three slides, AM P.84420, Grand Recif Mbere (22 ◦ 20 ′ 11 ′′ S, 166 ◦ 14 ′ 14 ′′ E), 2.0 m, brown alga cf Sargassum sp. , 4 November 1995, coll. I. Takeuchi (NCL-194); female 5.5 mm, dissected, one slide, AM P.84421, Grand Recif Mbere (22 ◦ 20 ′ 11 ′′ S, 166 ◦ 14 ′ 14 ′′ E), 2.0 m, brown alga cf Sargassum sp. , 4 November 1995, coll. I. Takeuchi (NCL-194); many specimens, AM P.84422, Grand Recif Mbere (22 ◦ 20 ′ 11 ′′ S, 166 ◦ 14 ′ 14 ′′ E), 2.0 m, brown alga cf Sargassum sp. , 4 November 1995, coll. I. Takeuchi (NCL-194); few specimens, AM P.84423, Grand Recif Mbere (22 ◦ 19 ′ 54 ′′ S, 166 ◦ 13 ′ 14 ′′ E), 15 m, red alga Trichogloea requienii , 21 November 1995, coll. I. Takeuchi (NCL-160); few specimens, AM P.84424, Grand Recif Mbere (22 ◦ 19 ′ 54 ′′ S, 166 ◦ 13 ′ 14 ′′ E), 12 m, red alga Trichologoea requienii , 22 November 1995, coll. J.K. Lowry (NCL-200); few specimens, AM P.84427, Grand Recif Mbere (22 ◦ 19 ′ 54 ′′ S, 166 ◦ 13 ′ 14 ′′ E), 10–12 m, brown alga Sargassum sp. , 21 November 1995, coll. J. Menou (NCL-158); few specimens, AM P.84425, off Ilot Maitre (22 ◦ 19 ′ 37 ′′ S, 166 ◦ 24 ′ 04 ′′ E), green calcareous alga Halimeda sp. , 14 November 1995, coll. I. Takeuchi (NCL 82).

Remarks

Ampithoe kulafi has been recorded from multiple localities in the Indo-Pacific, and was originally described from the Ifaluk Atoll, the Caroline Islands (J.L. Barnard 1965). The material recorded here from Papua New Guinea varies from the original description by the presence of robust setae along the male gnathopod 2 propodus anterior margin. Material drawn from Gulf of Mannar, India (Sivaprakasm 1971) also has the robust setae present on the male gnathopod 2.

The New Caledonia specimens examined here have only slender setae along the gnathopod 2 anterior margin similar to Fijian material ( Myers 1985). Illustrations of the type material are not detailed enough to assess this character. The minor difference in setal type along the male gnathopod is considered an intra-specific variation given the consistency of all other characters for the species .

Habitat

On brown alga Sargassum sp.

Distribution

New Caledonia (current study); Ifaluk Atoll, Caroline Islands (J.L. Barnard 1965); Indonesia ( Ledoyer 1979a; Ortiz and Lalana 1999); South China Sea ( Ren 2001, 2006); Madagascar ( Ledoyer 1973); India, Madras Coast ( Sivaprakasam 1971); Society Island ( Myers 1989); Kosrae ( Myers 1995b); Fijian Islands ( Myers 1985); Papua New Guinea (current study); Tonga ( Myers 1986b); Western Samoa ( Myers 1997).

Figures

Figure 5. Ampithoe kulafi Barnard, 1970, male 4.1 mm, AM P.82824; female, 4.2 mm AM P.82825, Papua New Guinea.

Figure 6. Ampithoe kulafi Barnard, 1970, male 4.1 mm, AM P.82824; female 4.2 mm, AM P.82825, Papua New Guinea. Scale bars 0.2 mm.

Figure 7. Ampithoe kulafi Barnard, 1970, male 4.1 mm, AM P.82824; female 4.2 mm, AM P.82825, Papua New Guinea. Scale bars 0.2 mm.

Figure 8. Ampithoe kulafi Barnard, 1970, male 4.1 mm, AM P.82824; female 4.2 mm, AM P.82825, Papua New Guinea. Scale bars 0.2 mm.