Bemlos gladius, Myers, 2009

Myers, Alan A., 2009, Aoridae *, Zootaxa 2260 (1), pp. 220-278 : 242-245

Bemlos gladius sp. nov.

( Figs 17 , 18 )

Type material. Holotype, male, 3.2 mm, AM P71519, Yonge Reef, Half Mile Opening (14 o 34’19”S, 145 o 36’51”E), in green alga Halimeda opuntia , by hand on SCUBA, 9 m, O. Coleman, 5 March 2005 (QLD 1827) . Paratypes: 1 male, 3 females, same data as holotype, AM P71568 (QLD 1829) .

Type locality. Yonge reef, Lizard Island, Queensland, Australia (14 o 34'19''S, 145 o 36'51''E) .

Etymology. From the latin ‘gladius’ = sword, referring to the long spine on the carpus of the male gnathopod 1.

Description. Based on holotype, male, 3.2 mm, AM P71519.

Head. Head lateral cephalic lobes apically truncate. Antenna 1 flagellum unknown. Antenna 2 with few long setae. Lower lip with fine setae and stout setae. Maxilla 1 inner plate with 1 long pectinate apical seta. Mandible, palp article 3 longer than 2, posterior margin straight, posterior margin with setae of two distinct lengths, long setae and an under-story of much shorter regularly spaced setae.

Pereon. Pereonites 2–3 with sternal spines, apically acute on segment 2, rounded on segment 3. Gnathopod 1 coxa weakly produced anterodistally, rounded; basis robust, less than twice as long as broad, posterodistal margin with brush of dense long setae; ischium anterior margin without flange, posterior margin with a few long setae; merus not greatly elongated, fused along its entire length with carpus, posterior margin with few setae, without spine; carpus one half length of propodus, with few setae, anterior margin with no spine; without an oblique row of long setae on inner face, posterodistal margin with long, slender spine; propodus anterior margin weakly setiferous, posterior margin sinuous, palm present, delimited from posterior margin, forming a v-shaped sinus, with strong posterodistal spine, without spine near base of dactylus; dactylus more than half length of propodus, overlapping palm. Gnathopod 2 subchelate; basis anterior margin straight but with weak distal concavity, anterodistal margin with weak flange, posterodistal margin with a dense brush of long setae; carpus longer than propodus, with dense long setae; propodus with dense long setae, palm with robust defining seta. Pereopod 3 basis unexpanded, without brush of long setae on merus. Pereopod 6 basis weakly produced posterodistally. Pereopod 7 150% length of pereopod 6.

Pleon. Epimeron 3 posterodistal margin with small notch bearing a seta. Uropod 1 rami subequal, peduncle much longer than broad, distoventral spine one quarter length of peduncle. Uropod 2 biramous; peduncle with distoventral spine almost half length of peduncle. Uropod 3 biramous, inner ramus more than 2 x length of peduncle. Telson with distal fine setae only.

Female (sexually dimorphic characters). Based on paratype female, 3.1 mm, AM P71568. Sternal spines absent. Gnathopod 1 basis relatively slender, about 3 x as long as broad, without a brush of setae on the posterodistal margin; carpus a little shorter than propodus, lacking a posterodistal spine; propodus palm defined by a rounded corner and a stout robust seta; dactylus overlapping palm. Gnathopod 2 basis slender, anterior margin fully straight, carpus and propodus subequal in length, both lacking dense long setae on the anterior margins .

Habitat. Among Halimeda opuntia in shallow water.

Remarks. This species is very close to Bemlos longisetis Ren, 2006 , in having a long spine on the posterodistal margin of the male gnathopod 1 carpus. It differs from that species, however, in lacking additional short spines on the posterior margin of the carpus of that appendage (present in B. longisetis ), and also in having a dense brush of long setae on the posterodistal margin of the basis of the male gnathopod 2 (lacking in B. longisetis ). It also resembles Bemlos delicatissima Myers (2002) from Phuket, Thailand. It differs in having a dense brush of long setae on the posterodistal margin of the basis of the male gnathopod 1 which is absent in B. delicatissima . The male gnathopod 1 basis is also more robust in B. gladius , being less than twice as long as broad, whereas in B. delicatissima it is much more than twice as long as broad. It also resembles B. pseudopunctatus ( Ledoyer, 1978) from the Mascarenes, but in that species, male gnathopod 2 has a small meral spine and lacks the brush of long setae on the basis. Bemlos pseudopunctatus also has acute sternal spines on segments 2–4.

Distribution. Australia. Queensland: Lizard Island (current study).

Figures

FIGURE 17. Bemlos gladius sp. nov., holotype, male, 3.2 mm, AM P71519, Yonge Reef, Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef.

FIGURE 18. Bemlos gladius sp. nov., holotype, male, 3.2 mm, AM P71519, female 3.2 mm, AM P71568, Yonge Reef, Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef.