Bollettino del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Verona, 31, 2007 Botanica Zoologia: 23-29 A new genus and species o Phreatogammaridae (Caledonietta maryae n. gen. n. sp) rom New Caledonia (Crustacea, Amphipoda) VALENTINA IANNILLI 1, SANDRO RUFFO 2 ( 1 Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e dell Uomo. Università di Roma La Sapienza, 2 Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Verona) ABSTRACT We describe Caledonietta maryae n. gen. n. sp. based on material collected in New Caledonia. The new genus is similar to Phreatogammarus Stebbing, 1989 rom New Zealand and distinguishable rom it in the gnathopods 1-2 dactylus with 3 strong spiniorm processes on disto-posterior margin, gnathopod 2 carpus without ventral lobe, and palmar margin o the propodus with ew palmar spines. Keywords: Phreatogrammaridae, New Caledonia, Caledonietta maryae n. gen n. sp. RIASSUNTO Viene descritta Caledonietta maryae n. gen. n. sp. su materiale raccolto in Nuova Caledonia. Il nuovo genere è simile a Phreatogammarus Stebbing, 1989 dal quale si distingue soprattutto per i dattili degli gnatopodi 1-2 con 3 robusti processi spiniormi all interno del margine distale, il carpo dello gnatopode 2 senza lobo ventrale, il margine palmare senza spine palmari. Parole chiave: Phreatogrammaridae, Nuova Caledonia, Caledonietta maryae n. gen n. sp. INTRODUCTION Freshwater amphipods have been reported rom New Caledonia by two papers only: Chevreux (1915) and Ruo & Vesentini-Paiotta (1972). Based on these works the auna rom New Caledonia comprises a limited number o reshwater and terrestrial amphipod species, all o them endemic o the big island. They are - Talorchestia antennulata Chevreux, 1915 - Chiltonorchestia sarasini (Chevreux, 1915) - Chiltonorchestia pusilla (Chevreux, 1915) - Chiltonorchestia starmuehlneri (Ruo & Vesentini- Paiotta, 1972) - Paracalliope novaecaledoniae Ruo & Vesentini- Paiotta, 1972 The species o Chiltonorchestia were originally described as Parorchestia by Chevreux and Orchestia by Ruo & Vesentini-Paiotta. Bousield (1984), however, attributed them to the new genus Chiltonorchestia, endemic rom New Caledonia. Examination o illustrations and the description airm that Talorchestia antennulata Chevreux can t be attributed to the genus Talorchestia Dana, 1852 sensu Morino & Miyamoto (1988), because o the male gnathopod 1 (cr. Chevreux, 1915, ig.) is subchelate, with deined palm margin reached by the dactylus, antenna 1 is elonged reaching the apical distal portion o antenna 2 peduncle article 5, and maxilla 1 possesses a distinctly biarticulate palp. This species, thereore, is attributed to a new genus, probably also endemic to New Caledonia. Recently, we received some new material o reshwater amphipods rom New Caledonia, collected by m.me dr. Clementine Flouhr rom our localities. Subsequently m.me dr. Nathalie Mary sent us more abundant material (29 samples) rom these islands. Ten samples o these collection conirmed the presence o the three species o Chiltonorchestia in New Caledonia: - Chiltonorchestia stahrmuehlneri (Ruo & Vesentini, 1972) - Tiwaka, 25.01.1997; 5.06.1997, leg. Mary; Carigou, 22.06. 1997; 27.11.1997 leg. Mary; Kadji, 2.07.2002 leg. Flouhr; Mai,14.02.2002, leg. Flouhr; - Chiltonorchestia sarasini (Chevreux, 1915) - Fari, 21.01.2004, leg. Flouhr; Pouembout, 3.06.1997; 25.10.1997, leg. Mary; - Chiltonorchestia pusilla (Chevreux, 1915) - Lac en Huit, 6.11.1999, leg. Mary; A ourth large (about 30 mm) Talitrid species was collected by m.me Mary on Panié Mount (28.10.1997). The single specimen (male) possessed a modiied uropod 1. Very likely it represents a new species, probably a new genus but we hesitate to establish a new species and genus based on a single specimen. M.me Mary also collected a single specimen belonging to the amily Bogi-
24 VALENTINA IANNILLI, SANDRO RUFFO diellidae in Rivière des Lacs, which is certainly a new species and probably a new genus. We do not describe this or the same reason. However, it is important to note the presence o a Bogidiellidae species at this locality which represents the eastern-most one known or the amily; to date Bogidiellids are known rom South America to Lizard Island (Australia) (Iannilli & al., 2006). In addition some specimens o a small stygomorphic species were collected in Coniance by M.me Mary. The species is herein described as belonging to a new genus o a amily (Phreatogammaridae Bousield, 1982) known rom New Zealand but never collected until now in New Caledonia. TAXONOMY Caledonietta n. gen Similar to Phreatogammarus Stebbing, 1899. Maxilla 1 outer plate with distal curved spines pluridenticulate; antenna 1 longer than body; coxal plate 1 large, subtrapezoidal; dactylus o gnathopods 1-2 with 3 strong spiniorm processes on posterior margin proximal to the nail, gnathopod 2 carpus elongate, without distinct posterodistal lobe, propodus ovato elongate, as long as carpus, palm undeined without row o palmar spines; coxae 5-7 short, discontiguous, anterior lobes vestigial; urosomite with postero-dorsal slender setae and robust setae: telson lobes short completely divided; paired sternal gills present on segments 2-6 Type species Caledonietta maryae n. sp. by monotypy. Gender is eminine. Caledonietta maryae n. sp. Material examined 4 specimens emales, Coniance (New Caledonia), 04.06.1977, N. Mary leg. Holotype dissected and mounted in Faure s medium (MNHN-AM7460); 3 paratypes, partially dissected and mounted in Faure s medium: 2 paratypes in ethanol deposited in Museum Nationale d Histoire Naturelle de Paris (MNHN-AM 7461-7462); 1 paratype deposited in Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Verona (Italy) (MVRCr451). Description Female, with oostegites (4.2 mm). Head without eyes. Antenna 1 (Fig. 1a,b), peduncle without spines, only with ew distal setae, article 1 strong, ratio o articles 1-3 = 1:0.6:0.5; lagellum longer than body, with 28 articles, rom article 14 very elongate, only with short distal setae; accessory lagellum o 5 articles as long as irst 4 articles o primary lagellum. Antenna 2 hal as long as antenna 1, article 1 o peduncle round, article 3 with conus excretorius elongate, ratio o articles 4:5 = 1:0.8; lagellum with 10 articles, with ew short setae. Mouthparts: labrum (Fig. 3a) normal, distally rounded; mandible let (Fig. 3b) incisor 5-toothed, lacinia mobilis 4-toothed, ollowed by 7 rakers, with distal brush o short setae, molar very robust, triturative, coniorm, palp elongate, ratio o articles = 0.58:1:0.68, article 2 with row o 6 long setae on distointerior margin, article 3 with 3 long apical setae and 5 elongate setae on inner margin; right mandible (Fig. 3c), incisor 4-toothed, lacinia mobilis biid with inner tooth ending in a brush o setulae, ollowed by a strong spine ending in a 7-toothed comb, with 5 apically setose rakers; labium (Fig. 3d) large, without distinct inner lobes; maxilla 1 (Fig. 3e) outer lobe with 7 curved pluridenticulate spines, the medial spine stouter, ending in a 9-toothed comb, inner lobe broader than outer, oblique distal margin with 20 long setae and a submarginal row o 3 long setae, palp larger than outer lobe, with 7 distal spines and 2 setae, let and right palps not dierent; maxilla 2 (Fig. 3g) inner lobe basally wider than outer lobe, with long setae distally and on inner margin, with a diagonal row o about 15 acial setae, outer lobe with marginal and submarginal rows o long distal setae; maxilliped (Fig. 3h) small, plates and palp as long as mandible palp, inner plate exceeding palp article 1, outer plate exceeding midpoint o palp article 2. Gnathopod 1 (Fig. 2a): coxa large, broaded distally, subtrapezoidal, with 4 strong spines on disto-internal margin, basis elongate, curved with 2 long proximal setae on anterior margin, and our long setae along posterior margin, carpus elongate, with 4 long, minutely pectinate spines on inner ace, propodus suboval (Fig. 2b) as long as carpus, with setae on posterior margin, palmar margin shorter than posterior one and deined by 2 spines, with 2 isolated spines along palmar margin, dactylus elongate with 3 spiniorm processes distally on posterior margin, preceding the elongate nail; gnathopod 2 (Fig. 2c): coxa 2 subrectangular, tapering distally, basis elongate with 1 submedial seta on posterior margin and 2 distal setae on anterior margin; carpus elongate, with parallel margins, ventral margin with 5 groups o long setae, propodus (Fig. 2d) as long as carpus, ovato elongate, palmar margin not deined, with 3 palmar spines and with 4 groups o long setae, dactylus alcate with 3 spiniorm processes distally on posterior margin, preceding the elongate nail. Coxa 3 (Fig. 2e) subrectangular, elongate, inerior
A NEW GENUS AND SPECIES OF PHREATOGAMMARIDAE FROM NEW CALEDONIA 25 a c d e g b b-g c-e Fig. 1 - Caledonietta maryae n. sp., holotype, emale 4,2 mm Coniance (Nouvelle Calédonie). a, general body aspect; b, detail o antenna 1 (proximal articles swith accessory lagellum, medial and distal articles); c-e, coxae 5-7;, lateral view o urosome; g, urosome with uropods. (scale 0,2 mm)
26 VALENTINA IANNILLI, SANDRO RUFFO margin convex with 3 short setae, coxa 4 subquadrate. Coxae 5-7 relatively short (Fig.2-h), coxa 5 with short anterior lobe with 1 seta, posterior lobe larger than anterior one, with 1 strong spine and with 2 strongly stalked setae. Coxae 6-7 similar, only with a reduced anterior lobe and with 2 posterior setae. Pereopods 3-4 (Fig.2e) similar without particular characteristics, with ew spines and setae; ratio nail:dactylus = 0.4:1, nail with a ine basal seta, dactylus with 1 long seta on inner margin and 1 seta on outer proximal margin. Pereiopods 5-7 (broken at carpus level), basis o pereiopod 5 (Fig. 2) not elongate, subrectangular, anterior margin distinctly convex, with 3 spines, posterior margin ast straight, with 1 spine on inner ace; pereiopod 6 (Fig. 2g) basis less wide than in pereiopod 5, posterior margin convex with 5 spines, pereiopod 7 (Fig. 2h) basis longer than in pereiopod 5-6, posterior margin convex with 7 strong spines, anterior margin eebly convex, proximally sclerotised, with 5 spines. Epimeral plates without spines on ventral margin, epimeral plate 2 (Fig. 2i) postero-distal corner rounded, epimeral plate 3 postero-distal corner subrectangular, with a short cusp. Pleopods 1-3 with rami eebly longer than peduncle, with 6 elongate articles and 2 harpoonlike retinacula. Urosome segments 1-2 (Fig. 1,g) with 2 setae and 2 spines posterodorsally, urosome segment 3 with 4 posterodorsal spines. Uropods 1-2, exopodite shorter than endopodite, rami with groups o 2-3 spines distally, uropod 1 peduncle with 1 basoacial spine. Uropod 3 (Fig. 2l) rami elongate, ratio peduncle/inner ramus = 0.53:1, outer ramus a little shorter than inner with ew spines, inner ramus with 4 groups o strong spines and 4 distal spines. Telson (Fig. 2m) with lobes entirely separate, lobes short, rounded, every lobe with 1 strong disto-lateral spine. Coxal gills (Fig. 2e) pedunculate, on segments 2-6, oostegites (Fig. 2e) long, tongue-like on segments 2-4, paired sternal gills (Fig. 2e), digitiorm, on segments 2-6. Ecological notes On the bases o the inormations given us by m.me Mary the species was collected in drip waters along the stream along the let cli covered by vegetation. Probably it is a subterranean species. Etymology The name o the new genus derived rom the name Caledonia, term used by Romans to indicate the Northern Britain, rom which takes its name the country Nouvelle Calédonie. The speciic name is dedicated to m.me dr. Nathalye Mary who collected it. DISCUSSION The Phreatogammaridae is known to date to comprise only one genus, Phreatogammarus Stebbing, 1899, which includes 4 species, all rom New Zealand (Hurley, 1954; Chapman, 2003, 2004). The new genus Caledonietta is very similar to Phreatogammarus, diering rom it in the characters described in the diagnosis. The most important distinguishing characters are dierences in gnathopods 1-2 between the two genera. We know rom inormations in litteris given by Bousield that in New Zealand other stygomorphic species belonging to the amily Phreatogammaridae were collected but to date not described. According to Bousield (1982) and to Chapman (2004) the Phreatogammaridae live in New Zealand not only in reshwaters but also in brackish waters, in localities close to the sea. We share the idea o Bousield (in litteris) that this amily has some ainities to the marine Melphidippidae. Thereore the presence o Phreatogammaridae in New Caledonia wouldn t require a past territorial continuity between New Zealand and New Caledonia. It is rather interesting to understand why, supposing a marine origin o Phreatogammaridae, they are not present in Tasmania and Australia. It is not possible to exclude the competition pressure by the rich autochthonous auna o Australian Crangonictoids. AKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to thank madame dr. Clementine Flouhr (HYTEC, Noumea - Nouvelle Calédonie) and madame dr. Nathalie Mary (ETHYCO, Perpignan - France) or collecting and sending us the material here described and or ecological inormations on the collecting sites. REFERENCES BOUSFIELD E.L., 1982. Peracarida Amphipoda, in: Synopsis and classiication o living organisms. McGraw-Hill Book Company: 232-293. BOUSFIELD E.L., 1984. Recent advances in the Systematics and Biogeography o Landhoppers (Amphipoda Talitridae) o the Indo-Paciic Region, in: Biogeography o the Tropical Paciic. Proceedings o a Symposium: 169-210. CHAPMAN M.A., 2003. A revision o the resh-water amphipod genus Phreatogammarus in New Zealand. Part 1: A redescription o P. helmsii Chilton, 1918 and a new species rom Northland. Journal o the Royal Society o New Zealand, 33 (3): 633-661. CHAPMAN M.A., 2004. A revision o the Phreatogammaridae (Crustacea Amphipoda) o New Zealand. Part 2:
A NEW GENUS AND SPECIES OF PHREATOGAMMARIDAE FROM NEW CALEDONIA 27 d a b c e g h i l b, d, m m a, c, e-l Fig. 2 - Caledonietta maryae n. sp., holotype, emale 4,2 mm Coniance (Nouvelle Calédonie). a, gnathopod1; b, particular o gnathopod 1; c, gnathopod 2; particular o gnathopod 2; e, pereopod 3 showing gill, oostegite and sternal gill; -h, pereopod 5-7; i, epimeral plates 2-3 with pleopods and retinacula; l, uropod 3; m,. telson. (scale 0,2 mm)
28 VALENTINA IANNILLI, SANDRO RUFFO e b h g c a d a-e, g-h Fig. 3 - Caledonietta maryae n. sp., holotype, emale 4,2 mm Coniance (Nouvelle Calédonie). a, labrum; b, let mandible; c, detail o right mandible; d, labium; e, maxilla 1 (let);, particular o maxilla 1 (right); g, maxilla 2; h, maxilliped. (scale 0,2 mm, only scale 0,1 mm)
A NEW GENUS AND SPECIES OF PHREATOGAMMARIDAE FROM NEW CALEDONIA 29 Phreatogammarus ragilis and P. propinquus. Journal o the Royal Society o NewZealand, 34 (1): 59-79. CHEVREUX E., 1915. Amphipodes de la Nouvelle Calédonie et des iles Loyalty, in: F. SARASIN & ROUX, Nova Caledonia, Zoologie, 2 (1.1): 3-14. HURLEY D.E., 1956. Studies on the New Zealand amphipod auna. 4. The amily Gammaridae, including a revision o the reshwater genus Phreatogammarus Stebbing. Transactions Royal Society o New Zealand, 81 (4): 601-618. IANNILLI V., HOLSINGER J, RUFFO S., VONK R., 2006. Two new genera and two new species o the subterranean amily Bogidiellidae (Crustacea, Amphipoda) rom groundwaters in Northern Oman, with notes on the geographic distribution o the amily. Zootaxa, 1208: 37-66. MORINO H, MIYAMOTO, 1988.Redeinition o Talorchestia (Amphipoda: Talitridae) with a description o a new species rom the tropical West Paciic. Journal o Crustacean Biology, 8 (1): 91-98. RUFFO S., VESENTINI-PAIOTTA G., 1972. Etudes Hydrobiologiques en Nouvelle Calédonie (Mission 1965 du Premier Institut de Zoologie de l Université de Vienne. Les Amphipodes (Crust.) de la Nouvelle Calédonie. Cah. O.R.S.T.O.M., sér. Hydrobiol., II, n 3-4: 247-260. ADDRESSES OF THE AUTHOR SANDRO RUFFO Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Lungadige Porta Vittoria, 9-37129 Verona (Italy) VALENTINA IANNILLI Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e dell Uomo. Università di Roma La Sapienza, Viale dell Università, 32-00185 Roma