Some new parasitic copepods (Siphonostomatoida: Nicothoidae) from deep-sea asellote isopods

Summary

The highly transformed siphonostomatoid Choniorhiza enaulis gen. et sp. nov. is described from an asellote isopod, Dendromunna sp., in the deep North Atlantic Ocean to the south west of the Azores. Male and female live inside a cyst on the dorsal side of the branchial chamber of the isopod. The new genus may be distinguished from all other genera of the Nicothoidae, except Rhizorhina, by the presence of oral processes replacing the cephalic appendages. It differs from Rhizorhina in the presence of a distinct urosome in the female. A key to all genera of the Nicothoidae is provided and Pseudonicothoe Avdeev & Avdeev is recognized as a junior synonym of Paranicothoe Carton. The male syntype of Paranicothoe cladocera Carton is designated as the lectotype because the female is an isopod. Sphaeronella bradfordae sp. nov. is described from an isopod of the genus Haploniscus caught on the Chatham Rise off New Zealand.     

New deep-sea Poecilochaetidae (Polychaeta: Spionida) from New Zealand

Three Poecilochaetus species occurring in N.Z. waters are described. Poecilochaetus trachyderma n. sp. is similar to P. fulgoris Claparède; P. aff. bermudensis Hartman and P. sp. 3 are previously unrecorded species, but as yet only anterior fragments have been obtained. Setal microstructures were examined by scanning electron microscopy. P. trachyderma and P. aff. bermudensis have distinctive capillary setae with nested spiral palisades of fused spinules. P. aff. bermudensis has hispidpappose capillaries with twin accessory spines. A key to the family is given.     

Three new species of the deep-sea genus Neotanais Beddard (Crustacea: Peracarida)

Three new species of the deep-water family Neotanaididae Lang are described. Neotanais minimus n. sp. and N. curvimanus n. sp. were collected from the Gulf of Mexico and are the first species to be described from this region. Neotanais minimus cannot be grouped with other Neotanais species, since it displays characters from all groupings. Neotanais curvimanus has strong affinities to the ‘americanus’ group but can be separated by the short pereonite 6 and by the presence of many setulose setae lateral on the pleonites. Male N. curvimanus can easily be separated from all other species of the genus by the cheliped fixed finger being only half as long as the dactylus and the dactylus being incurved from fixed finger at an angle of about 40°. Neotanais noelietaiti n. sp. was found off south-east Australia and is the first Neotanais species to be described from Australian waters. It also has strong affinities to the ‘americanus’ group but can be distinguished by the complete lack of a midventral keel and by the uropodal exopod being as long as the endopod article 1.     

A new species of Forcipomyia (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) ectoparasitic on butterflies in New Guinea

A new species, Forcipomyia (Trichohelea) papuensis, is described from New Guinea, where it is ectoparasitic on butterflies. The modifications and diagnostic characters of this species are compared with those of the other Australasian Trichohelea.     

A new deep-sea Psammogammarus species (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Eriopisidae) from the continental slope of the SE Gulf of Mexico

A new deep-sea species of amphipod collected at a depth of 1317 m from the soft bottom of the Bay of Campeche, SW Gulf of Mexico, is herein described. The sediment included a high proportion of silt and organic carbon. The specimen examined in this study was collected during the Oceanographic Expedition Xcambó-4, along the Bay of Campeche, aboard the RV Justo Sierra. The new species represents the sixteenth known species of the genus Psammogammarus worldwide. This new species is the second Psammogammarus recorded from the deep sea, and the first record of the genus for the Gulf of Mexico. Identification keys to males and females of Psammogammarus species are provided. Psammogammarus barrerai sp. nov. is characterised by head with anteroventral notch present; gnathopods 1 and 2 palmar margins oblique, and basis of pereopod 7 forming a wide serrated posterior lobe.

www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C843777B-FF15-4AEC-B046-6513A96A9BFF     

A new genus and species of bythitid fish (Teleostei: Ophidiiformes) from New Zealand

Brosmodorsalis persicinus n. gen., n. sp. is described from specimens collected from shallow coastal rocky reefs of northern New Zealand. Brosmodorsalis is placed in the bythitid fish subfamily Brosmophycinae because it has the caudal fin separate from the dorsal and anal fins. The genus differs from all others within the subfamily by the origin of the dorsal fin being well in advance of the posterior margin of the operculum and the anterior dorsal fin rays being free of membrane.     

Two species of deep-sea flabelliferan isopods from Taiwan (Crustacea: Peracarida: Aegidae,Anuropidae)

Aega falcata sp. nov. is described from two female specimens from about 500m off Taiwan. The species' most distinctive feature, which readily distinguishes it from all others described, is the flattened falcate plates of the two basal articles of the antennular peduncle. Three specimens of Anuropus pacificus Lincoln and Jones, 1973, are recorded from 400 to 500m. These include a male, an ovigerous and a larvigerous female having numerous manca in the broodpouch. Given the rarity of specimens of Anuropus, all three forms, as well as the manca, are described in some detail.     

A new genus and species of Syncarida (Crustacea: Malacostraca) from Borneo

A new genus and species of the family Parabathynellidae, Sabahbathynella wongi, is described. It has been discovered in the interstitial of coarse sand filling the spaces between big stones of the bank along a stream in Sabah on Borneo. The new genus of the family Parabathynellidae exhibits some unusual features which make it impossible to assess its phylogenetic position. There are some convergencies with the genus Thermobathynella.     

Two new species of Niphargus (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from Iran

Two Niphargus species, Niphargus khayyami sp. nov. and Niphargus khwarizmi sp. nov., are morphologically analysed and described. Both species are found in western Iran, which represents the easternmost border of the distributional area for this subterranean amphipod genus. We were unable to attribute N. khayyami sp. nov. to any of 80 Niphargus species that were analysed for 28S ribosomal DNA sequences; sequencing of N. khwarizmi sp. nov. failed. Niphargid findings from west Asia recorded in 5 years imply that almost one half of the range of this large freshwater amphipod genus is still unexplored. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9E9E7CC9-83E2-419F-A394-57197305E1EF     

A new species of Zeuxo (Crustacea: Tanaidacea) from the French Atlantic coast

A new species of tanaidacean of the genus Zeuxo is described from 105 specimens dredged from the shallow inshore benthic marine fauna from Arcachon, western France. This is the only species of Zeuxo in the Lusitanian area. Its combination of a 7-articled uropod (6-articled endopod with elongate articles in the adult) with a conspicuous lacinia mobilis on the right mandible is unique for the genus. The spination and setation of the carpus of pereopod 2 is reduced in comparison with the most similar known species of Zeuxo. It is distinct from potentially sympatric species of the family Tanaidae in having five free pleonites without a dorsal fringe of setae.     

Antheluridae,a new family of Crustacea (Isopoda: Anthuridea) with new species from Australia

The Antheluridae is erected for the genera Anthelura Norman and Stebbing, Ananthura Barnard and Anthomuda Schultz. The family is characterized by mouthparts of biting form; maxillipedal endite broad; maxillipedal palp broad, of 4–5 free articles; several posterior carpal and propodal spines on pereopods 2–7; pereopod 7 with transverse anterodistal propodal setal row on mesial face; and single telsonic statocyst. Its relationships to other anthurideans, especially the Paranthuridae, is discussed. Three new Australian species are described, Ananthura billarderia from off New South Wales, Anthomuda chorizema from the southeastern coast, and Anthomuda hovea, from the Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea islands and Western Australia.

Bathura Schultz, Austranthura Kussakin and Valoranthura Kensley are junior synonyms of Ananthura, and Diaphoranthura is a junior synonym of Anthomuda.     

A new pontoniine shrimp genus (Crustacea: Decapoda) from the Yemen,with a note on other species

An unusual new genus and species of coral inhabiting pontoniine shrimp from the Yemen is described and illustrated. The new shrimp is remarkable for its very small size and the unique form of its telson. Three other pontoniine shrimps are also reported from the Yemen for the first time, raising the number of such shrimp species known from southern Arabia to 18.     

A new genus of freshwater crab (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Potamidae) from Thailand,with a description of a new species

A new genus, Stelomon, is established for the Thai freshwater crabs Potamon kanchanaburiense Naiyanetr, 1992, and P. pruinosum Alcock, 1909. The unique structure of the male first pleopod is the key diagnostic generic character. One new species, which differs in the form of the male first pleopod, is also described. A key to the species of Stelomon is included.     

Seasonal reproduction in deep-sea Crustacea (Isopoda: Asellota)

A collection of Crustacea Isopoda (suborder Asellota) from a 10-year sampling programme in the Rockall Trough, NE Atlantic (54°40′N, 12°15′W) was analysed for evidence of breeding seasonality. No evidence of seasonal activity was found — adults and newly released juveniles were present throughout the year — but there was a strong seasonal pattern for breeding intensity. A significantly higher proportion of females was brooding during the winter months (25%) compared to the summer (5%), and the percentage of females brooding varied significantly with depth. The breeding pattern was synchronized to the seasonal deposition of organic detritus known to occur during the summer in the NE Atlantic. There were more newly released juveniles in samples during the summer than during the winter, with most females appearing to release their young at the time the deposition began. This deposition appears to be a major seasonal factor dominating the life-cycles of most benthic species in the Rockall Trough. Juvenile settlement for a range of taxa (echinoderms, molluscs and crustaceans) occurs while the detritus is present and most species maximize vitellogenesis at this time.     

Feeding behaviour of fifteen species of hermit crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) from the Otago region,southeastern New Zealand

Summary

The feeding behaviour of 15 species of hermit crabs from four families (Pylochelidae, Diogenidae, Paguridae and Parapaguridae) and from habitats ranging from rocky intertidal through continental shelf gravelly sediments to finer sediments on the shelf edge and continental slope, is described.

Feeding mechanisms found include various methods of deposit-feeding, browsing, suspension-feeding, predation and scavenging. Each species employs one or two primary feeding mechanisms but also a number of secondary mechanisms. Depositfeeding techniques include scooping up detritus-rich sediment, scrubbing detritus from the surface of small granules, scraping it from larger surfaces, picking it out of crevices and other irregularities, and brushing out and ingesting material which adheres to the general body setation. A few species browse on algae and sedentary colonial invertebrates which they slice or pluck off with the chelae. A number of species filter particles out of suspension using either the general setation of the body and/or specially modified appendages which are swept through the water. Predators either capture and ingest small organisms they encounter more or less accidentally, or actively search for prey. The latter include two species which excavate pits in the sediment in search of burrowing invertebrates. All the species studied fed upon carrion although some fed much less readily than others.

Feeding behaviour in the species studied is discussed in relation to their morphology and habitat. Previously published work on feeding in hermit crabs is reviewed. It is concluded that the broad range of feeding techniques shown by most species is probably of adaptive significance as it enables the crabs to deal with a variety of different foods and substratum types.     

New species of Monstrilloida (Crustacea: Copepoda) from the Eastern Tropical Pacific

Monstrilloid copepods were collected from the oceanic island Isla del Coco in the Eastern Tropical Pacific; two undescribed species were found, one of Cymbasoma and one of Monstrillopsis. The first species, represented by females only, is distinguished by the structure of its fifth legs, the antennular armature and the position of the ovigerous spines. The new Monstrillopsis, represented by male specimens, is distinguished by its genital lappets and details of the antennule armature. The isolation of this island, 532 km from the mainland, and the limited dispersal means of monstrilloids suggest potential endemism of these species. A recent record of Cymbasoma tumorifrons from the Mexican Pacific was found to represent a new species of Cymbasoma. It can be distinguished from C. tumorifrons, probably a Mediterranean form, by its body shape and antennular armature. These findings double the number of monstrilloid species known from the Eastern Tropical Pacific.     

Deep-sea asellote isopods (Crustacea,Eumalacostraca) of the north-west Atlantic: the family Haploniscidae

The deep-sea asellote isopod species belonging to the family Haploniscidae were studied from three study sites off the North Carolina coast and one off Bermuda. The following five new species, belonging to the new genus Chandraniscus, are described: C. kussakini from Alpha-A off Bermuda (1300 m), C. eastwardae, C. costlowi and C. chardyi from the Carolina lower slope site Beta and C. negoescuae at site Sigma on the Carolina continental rise (4910 m). Three new species of Haploniscus are described: H. kensleyi from the Carolina upper continental slope at Alpha-B, H. gnanamuthi from site Alpha-A off Bermuda, H. harrietae from site Beta. A new species Chauliodoniscus wilsoni from site Sigma is also described. Three new species of the genus Hydroniscus, found in this alpha-taxonomic study, include H. buzwilsoni and H. malyutinae from site Beta and H. watlingi from both Beta and Sigma. Two new species of the genus Antennuloniscus, A. menziesi and A. lincolni, are described from site Beta over the Carolina lower continental slope.     

A new genus and five new species of Phoxocephalidae (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from the south-east Brazilian deep sea

Rearing data from higher plants, carrion and bird and mammal nests and burrows are provided for eight species of Heleomyzidae (Diptera): Heleomyzinae: Heleomyza borealis Boheman, Scoliocentra brachypterna (Loew) and Eccoptomera microps (Meigen); Heteromyzinae: Tephrochlamys flavipes (Zetterstedt), Tephrochlamys tarsalis (Zetterstedt) and Heteromyza rotundicornis (Zetterstedt); and Suillinae: Suillia ustulata (Meigen) and Suillia variegata (Loew). The puparia of these species are described. Unique characters and characters in combination distinguish each species and their subfamilies, suggesting that early stages are a valuable source of taxonomic data. Head skeleton and other features suggest contrasting food gathering mechanisms, with heleomyzines suited to feeding on food of low viscosity, suillines on high-viscosity or firm food and heteromyzines on food of intermediate viscosity.