A New Genus and Five New Species of Phoxocephalidae (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from the Eastern Tasman Sea, the Otago Shelf, and The Snares, New Zealand
Author
Taylor, Joanne
Museums Victoria, GPO BOX 666, Melbourne VIC 3001, Australia
Author
Peart, Rachael A.
National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research Ltd (NIWA), New Zealand
text
Records of the Australian Museum
2023
Rec. Aust. Mus.
2023-12-06
75
4
567
600
http://dx.doi.org/10.3853/j.2201-4349.75.2023.1894
journal article
293320
10.3853/j.2201-4349.75.2023.1894
d16f6996-8ad5-4d7d-a1e8-c39c0e3ec30e
2201-4349
10413515
57120B8F-6B38-436E-BAB4-62B43AE14728
Zeaphoxus
gen. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:
DDD41A3A-5207-42E5-869A-0A05BAB40504
Diagnosis
. Rostrum fully developed, unconstricted. Eyes present.Antennae 1–2, flagella unreduced in female. Article 2 of antenna 1 ordinary, ventral setae widely spread, in middle.Antenna 1 peduncle article 2 not or weakly ensiform; article 3 with 2 setules; facial robust setae on article 4 primarily in 1 row; article 5 ordinary. Prebuccal appendages not extended forward, rounded, massive, not strongly distinct, epistome dominant. Right mandibular incisor with 3 teeth; molar not triturative, small, pillow shaped, with 3 semi-articulate robust setae, 1 of these enlarged, with patch of fine setae; palpar hump medium; right lacinia mobilis bifid, broad; mandibular palp thin, article 1 short, article 2 without outer setae, apex of article 3 oblique, all distal setae confined to apex. Lower lip with salivary cones. Maxilla 1 palp 2-articulate, inner plate with 4 setae, outer plate with 11 robust setae, 1 robust seta especially thickened. Maxilla 2 ordinarily setose, outer plate scarcely enlarged. Maxilliped outer plates thin, elongate, spinose, and setose, apex of palp article 3 scarcely protuberant, dactylus elongate, apical nail indistinct, mostly immersed, short. Gnathopods small, weakly diverse, propodus of gnathopod 2 distinctly larger than on gnathopod 1; carpus of gnathopod 1 free, of gnathopod 2 very short and almost cryptic, palms acute, propodi ordinary, almond shaped, poorly setose anteriorly. Pereopods 3–4 carpus with posteroproximal setae, all posterior robust setae on propodus thin and stiff, midapical robust setae present. Pereopod 5 basis broad, tapering, Pereopods 5–6 basis not setose posteriorly, merus-carpus medium to narrow. Pereopod 7 basis without ventral and facial setae, with only 1 facial ridge, ischium slightly enlarged and strongly setose anteroventrally, merus not lobed. Epimera 1–2 lacking elongate posterior setae, with midfacial setae below ventral facial ridge. Epimeron 3 setose facially, smooth posteriorly. Urosomite 1 generally naked except for sparse apicoventral setae or robust setae near base of uropod 1. Urosomite 3 without dorsal hook or special process. Uropod 1 peduncle without apicoventral enlarged robust setae, with special enlarged apical robust seta, with basoventral setae, with dorsolateral robust setae narrowly spread, very weak, confined apically, medial robust setae widely spread. Uropod 1 outer ramus ordinary, inner ramus with marginal robust setae in 1 row, no rami of uropods 1–2 continuously spinose to apex. Uropod 2 inner ramus ordinary. Uropod 3 peduncle lacking extra slender or robust setae, article 2 of outer ramus short, with 2 medium apical setae. Telson with pair of midlateral or dorsal setules on each side, 2 apical robust setae on each lobe, without special dorsal and lateral slender and robust setae. Five pairs of gills.
Sexual dimorphism
. Male not known.
Type
species
.
Zeaphoxus zealandicus
sp. nov.
Etymology
. From
New Zealand
and “phoxus” a common root of genera in
Phoxocephalidae
. Gender masculine.
Remarks
.
Zeaphoxus
gen. nov.
and two new species,
Zeaphoxus senecio
sp. nov.
from the Tasman Sea and The Snares,
7–507 m
and
Zeaphoxus zealandicus
sp. nov.
from the Otago Shelf,
65 m
are recognized. These new species could not definitively be keyed to either a subfamily or genus according to Barnard & Karaman (1991) due in part to the recombination of characters including: structure of the molar (small, pillow shaped, and non-trituritive), length of article 2 of antennae 1 (elongate) and gnathopods 1–2 diverse in size with gnathopod 2 obviously larger than gnathopod 1. The preliminary morphological phylogeny of
Taylor (2003)
elucidated that they share a combination of traits with species belonging to the genera
Eyakia
,
Leongathus
, and
Mesophoxus
, including antenna 1, peduncle article 2 with ventral setae situated on middle, right mandibular incisor with 3 teeth and pereopod 5 of broad form but tapering distally.
Taylor (2006)
was faced with a similar dilemma when trying to place a new species collected from the Tasman Sea. The partly triturate molar but narrow basis of pereopod
5 in
part informed the decision to redescribe the genus
Leongathus
to accommodate
Leongathus alannah
Taylor, 2006
rather than erecting another monotypic genus. Although these authors note
Zeaphoxus
gen. nov.
has morphological affinities with both
Eyakia
and
Mesophoxus
from North Pacific waters, and with species of
Leongathus
,
known from the Tasman Sea and southern
Australia
, the decision to establish a new genus instead of making an emended diagnosis of an existing genus is taken in this instance.
Key to the world species of
Zeaphoxus
1
Dorsolateral
margin of uropod 1 peduncle with 2 robust setae; dorsal margin of uropod 2 peduncle with short apical robust setae and elongate proximal setae.
Proximal
branch of right lacinia mobilis not longer than distal branch ........................................ ........................................... [
New Zealand
,
Otago
Shelf;
65 m
] ..
Zeaphoxus zealandicus
sp. nov
.
—— Dorsolateral margin of uropod 1 peduncle with 5 or 6 robust setae; dorsal margin of uropod 2 peduncle with all medium similar robust setae. Proximal branch of right lacinia mobilis much longer than distal branch ................................................. ......................................[
Tasman
Sea
&
The Snares
;
7–507 m
] ......
Zeaphoxus senecio
sp. nov
.