Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

A New Genus and Species of Didymocheliid Amphipod from Hexactinellid Sponges (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Didymocheliidae) from the Western Atlantic Ocean

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History

ISSN

0079-032X

Publication Date

4-2012

Keywords

Amphipoda, Didymocheliidae, Taxonomy, Biogeography, Setae, Commensal, Sponges, Hexactinellidae, Deep reefs, Lophelia, Florida

Abstract

Aidamochelia claustracola, gen. et sp. nov., an endocommensal amphipod, is described from two hexactinellid sponges, Aphrocallistes beatrix and Hertwigia falcifera, from deep coral bioherms off Florida’s east coast. Aidamochelia claustracola is the third genus and fifth species described from one of the rarest gammaridean amphipod families, the Didymocheliidae. Aidamochelia claustracola is separated from the two other genera, Didymochelia and Apodidymochelia, in having expanded bases on pereopods five through seven and a biramous third uropod. Observations of live specimens of Aidamochelia claustracola in the host sponges show them to occur as malefemale pairs and to have eyes consisting of a triangular ommatidial mass that fades on fixation. Scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy studies of siliceous spicules found in the mouthpart field and gut indicate that Aidamochelia claustracola may feed on tissue of its hosts. This species represents only the second record of the family from the Northern Hemisphere and extends the known range of the family to the western Atlantic Ocean.

DOI

10.3374/014.053.0102

Volume

53

Issue

1

First Page

309

Last Page

323

Comments

©2012 Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University. All rights reserved

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