Neomuelleriella mayottensis Kornicker 1992

Neomuelleriella mayottensis

ETYMOLOGY.—The species is named for the island of Mayotte, part of the Comoro Islands, Indian Ocean.

HOLOTYPE.—MNHN Os 88, adult male in alcohol and on slides.

TYPE LOCALITY.—Sta 50-S, 28 Mar 1977, Bouéni Reef, Mayotte, 12°54′30″S, 44°58′30″E, depth 32 m.

DISTRIBUTION.—Collected only at type locality.

DESCRIPTION OF ADULT MALE (Figures 100, 101).—Carapace oval in lateral view, with evenly rounded posterior end and shallow anterior incisur (Figure 100).

Ornamentation (Figure 100): Surface with dense covering of pointed hairs; longer hairs with slightly broader proximal or present along anterior and ventral margins, and sparsely distributed on lateral surface; hairs along posteroventral curvature more abundant than elsewhere.

Infold: Anteroventral infold with minute bristle at mid- width ventral to rostrum (Figure 101a). Posterior infold with 2 setal bristles. Posteroventral infold broad with 5 or 6 small bristles forming row distal to middle and with few minute bristles near inner edge (Figure 101b) (the broad posteroventral selvage is medial to part of valve bearing extremely dense surface bristles).

Selvage: Broad lamellar prolongation present along anterior, ventral, and posterior margins. Outer margin of prolongation with fringe of long hairs (Figure 101a).

Carapace Size: MNHN Os 88, holotype, length 0.82 mm, height 0.61 mm.

First Antenna (Figure 101c): 1st joint bare. 2nd joint with 1 dorsal bristle with few marginal spines. 3rd joint fused to 4th and with 1 dorsal bristle with few marginal spines. 4th joint elongate, with 1 short dorsal and 1 minute ventral bristle. 5th joint small, triangular; sensory bristle with abundant filaments in cuplike proximal part (filaments not shown); main stem of sensory bristle with 3 or 4 minute marginal filaments and spine at tip. 6th joint elongate, with short, terminal, medial bristle. 7th joint: a-bristle 2 or 3 times as long as bristle of 6th joint; b-bristle twice as long as a-bristle, bare; c-bristle reaching just past tip of sensory bristle of 5th joint, with 3 filaments near middle, 2 shorter distal filaments, and spine at tip. 8th joint: d-and e-bristles slightly shorter than c-bristle, bare with blunt tips; f-bristle shorter than d- and e-bristles, with 2 short and 1 minute filament near middle; g-bristle as long as c-bristle, with 3 short marginal filaments near middle, 2 distal filaments, and spine at tip. (A distal suture on lateral side of 2nd joint (Figure 101c) could be interpreted as proximal suture of 3rd joint; this suture absent on medial side.)

Second Antenna: Protopodite bare. Endopodite of right limb 2-jointed (Figure 101e): 1st joint with 1 short, proximal, anterior bristle, and spines in rows; 2nd joint narrow, with 2 long, spinous, terminal bristles. Endopodite of left limb (probably aberrant) (Figure 101d) differs from endopodite of right limb in not having proximal bristle on 1st joint, and in having 1 bristle and a short process on tip of 2nd joint. Left exopodite aberrant in having only 7 joints (no bristle on 7th joint). Right exopodite: 1st joint elongate, with small, bent, medial bristle on terminal edge; 2nd joint about twice length of 3rd joint measured along ventral margin, with long bristle with slender, proximal, ventral spines, and distal natatory hairs; bristle of joint 3 long, with 4 proximal ventral spines, and distal natatory hairs; bristles of joints 4–8 long with natatory hairs, no spines; small 9th joint with 2 bristles (1 long with natatory hairs, 1 very short).

Mandible (Figure 101f): Coxale endite represented by small spine. Basale: medial side near ventral margin with 4 short bristles (3 near middle, 1 distal); ventral margin with 1 long spinous bristle; dorsal margin with 2 subterminal bristles. Exopodite triangular, hirsute. 1st endopodial joint: lateral side with cluster of long hairs near exopodite, and spines along distal margin; medial side hirsute along dorsal half; ventral margin with 3 bristles (1 long, 2 short). 2nd endopodial joint: medial side with distal spines in row; ventral margin with 1 terminal bristle; dorsal margin with 2 proximal bristles. 3rd endopodial joint with stout, bare, curved, terminal claw, and 3 bristles (2 ventral, 1 dorsal).

Maxilla (Figure 101g): Limb minute, hirsute, with many bristles.

Fifth Limb (Figure 101h): Epipodite appendage with 33 bristles. Single endite with 1 small bristle. Exopodite: 1st joint with 2 ringed bristles; joints 2–5 fused, hirsute, with total of 8 or 9 ringed bristles.

Sixth Limb (Figure 101i): Single endite with 3 bristles. End joint with 16 or 17 bristles (2 posterior bristles more hirsute than others).

Seventh Limb (Figure 101j): 4 bristles in distal group (2 on each side), each bristle with 5 or 6 bells; 1 bristle in proximal group, with 4 bells. Terminus with 1 recurved pointed tooth.

Furca (Figure 101k): Each lamella with 6 claws; claws 1 and 2 nonarticulate, remaining claws articulate; claw 3 about same length but more slender than claw 4; claws 1–5 with stout posterior teeth proximally and more slender teeth distally; claw 6 with slender spines along anterior and posterior margins; claws 4 and 5 with faint spines along anterior margins; a few indistinct, distal, anterior hairs present on claws 1 and 2. Long hairs medial to and posterior to claw 6 about length of claw 6 of left lamella.

Bellonci Organ (Figure 101l,m): Elongate, with 2 proximal sutures, wrinkled in middle section, broadening to rounded tip.

Eyes: Both medial and lateral eyes with brown pigment (Figure 101l,m); medial eye bare; lateral eye smaller than medial eye, with 4 divided ommatidia (Figure 101m,n).

Copulatory Organ (Figure 101o): Consisting of 3 lobes on each side of body; distal lobe with sclerotized, recurved, terminal process with tooth along inner margin; bristles present on 2 lobes.

Y-Sclerite: Right sclerite with small proximal projection on ventral margin of ventral branch (Figure 101p). Left sclerite obscured on mounted specimen.

COMPARISONS.—The carapace of the new species N. mayottensis differs from N. hispida and N. zealandica in not having a long caudal process. The carapace of N. mayottensis resembles that of Chelicopia squamosa Hall, 1985 (only adult female known), but that species has the 3rd furcal claw nonarticulated, and many carapace bristles form a right-angle at midlength.

CYLINDROLEBERIDIDAE Müller, 1906

This family includes 3 subfamilies: Cylindroleberidinae, Cyclasteropinae, and Asteropteroninae. All are represented in the collections.

CYLINDROLEBERIDINAE Müller, 1906

The Cylindroleberidinae comprise 16 genera of which 4 are represented in the collections: Heptonema, Cylindroleberis, Prionotoleberis, and Synasterope.

Heptonema Cohen and Kornicker, 1975

Heptonema Poulsen, 1965 [nomen nudum].—Cohen and Kornicker, 1975 [named type species].

TYPE SPECIES.—Heptonema serrata Poulsen, 1965:329, subsequent designation by Cohen and Kornicker (1975:23).

DISTRIBUTION.—Members of this genus have been collected in the Virgin Islands, West Indies, off the Atlantic coast of North America, in the vicinity of the Kei Islands, East Indies, and at Enewetak Atoll, Pacific. The new species H. latex described herein is the first report of the genus in the Indian Ocean. The known depth range of the genus is 5–210 m (Kornicker, 1986b:54; 1991:117; herein).

COMPOSITION.—Including the new species described herein, the genus comprises 5 species.

EMENDED DIAGNOSIS.—Poulsen (1965:329) included 2 species in the genus. This emended diagnosis expands that of Poulsen where necessary to include 3 additional species (H. latum Kornicker, 1986b, H. homelix Kornicker, 1991, and H. latex, new species). The genus is defined by having on the sensory bristle of the female 1st antenna 7 terminal filaments and no small proximal filament, and by having on the 8th joint of the 1st antenna a minute or no d-bristle, and by having on the mandible an exopodite at least the length of the dorsal margin of the 1st endopodial joint.

Second Antenna: Protopodite with or without spines. Exopodial joints with or without basal spines.

Maxilla: Dorsal margin of basale with 1 or 2 bristles.

Fifth Limb: Comb with 2 or more exopodial bristles.

Sixth Limb: Posteroventral margin of skirt without bristles or with many bristles.

Seventh Limb: With 4 or 6 bristles in proximal group.

Medial Eye: Bare or with dorsal hairs.

Posterior of Body: Posterior margin of body dorsal to furca either bare or spinous.