New talitrids from South Africa (Amphipoda, Senticaudata, Talitroidea, Talitridae) with notes on their ecology Author Lowry, J. K. Author Baldanzi, S. text Zootaxa 2016 4144 2 151 174 journal article 10.11646/zootaxa.4144.2.1 63c206b8-c610-40fc-b044-020934eef021 1175-5326 272039 3A7B0E6F-F553-48E9-B640-2BED0DF598F7 Africorchestia meridionalis Based on the collection survey in 2010, the spatial distribution of A. meridionalis seems to be restricted to the South Coast of South Africa ( Fig 13 ), ranging from Cape Agulhas ( Western Cape ) to Kidd’s Beach ( Eastern Cape ). The pattern of abundance appears to be driven mainly by the temperature of the sand and water, measured at the time of collection (winter 2010, Baldanzi unpublished data). No differences in size have been found between males and females, furthermore no ovigerous females have ever been collected. This species seems to prefer macroalgae and debris of riverine origin, as it has mainly been found underneath such type of wrack and on the proximities of estuaries (Baldanzi, pers. obs). This observation could be interpreted both in terms of habitat exclusion due to interspecific competition with A. capensis (both can be found at the same location) or differences on feeding choice. We suggest that A. meridionalis falls under the category of beach-hopper ( sensu Bousfield, 1992) as it does not modify the substrate, but rather lives underneath the macroalgae without burrowing deep in the sand (SB, pers. obs.).