Epimeria (Drakepimeria) reoproi d'Acoz & Verheye 2017, subgen. nov.

Epimeria (Drakepimeria) reoproi subgen. nov. Lörz & Coleman, 2001

Figs 90–98

Epimeria reoproi Lörz & Coleman, 2001: 991–1001, figs 1–5.

Epimeria reoproi – Lörz & Coleman in Lörz 2003: 20, figs 1–5. — Coleman 2007: 49, in part, fig. 26, Map 13 (open square), not colour plate 2h (= E. robertiana sp. nov.) — d’Udekem d’Acoz & Robert 2008.

non Epimeria reoproi – Lörz & Coleman 2009: unnumbered photograph on p. 17 (= E. robertiana

sp. nov.).

Material examined

RV Polarstern cruises:

SOUTHERN OCEAN: ♀, partly dissected, stacking photographs, probably photographed on board — dotted colour morph without red patch, cruise PS69, ANT-XXIII/8, stn 614-3/4/5, Elephant Island, 60°52.37ʹ S, 55°29.80ʹ W to 60°52.71ʹ S, 55°27.83ʹ W, 248–265 m, a lot of epifauna, Rauschert dredge and Agassiz trawl, 22 Dec. 2006, coll. C. d’Udekem d’Acoz and H. Robert (RBINS, INV. 122477); 1 spec., probably photographed on board — dotted colour morph without red patch, cruise PS69, ANT- XXIII/8, stn 614-3/4/5, Elephant Island, 60°52.37ʹ S, 55°29.80ʹ W to 60°52.71ʹ S, 55°27.83ʹ W, 248–265 m, a lot of epifauna, Rauschert dredge and Agassiz trawl, 22 Dec. 2006, coll. C. d’Udekem d’Acoz and H. Robert (RBINS, INV. 122477); 2 specs, cruise PS69, ANT-XXIII/8, stn 608-1, Elephant Island, 61°11.34ʹ S, 54°43.17ʹ W to 61°11.80ʹ S, 54°40.05ʹ W, 284–293 m, 20 Dec. 2006, coll. C. d’Udekem d’Acoz and H. Robert (RBINS, INV. 122541); 2 specs, one of these specimens was photographed on board, colour morph with both red dots and red patch, cruise PS69, ANT-XXIII/8, stn 614-3/4/5?3–5?, Elephant Island, 60°52.37ʹ S, 55°29.80ʹ W, to 60°52.71ʹ S, 55°27.83ʹ W, 248–265 m, a lot of epifauna, Rauschert dredge and Agassiz trawl, 22 Dec. 2006, coll. C. d’Udekem d’Acoz and H. Robert (RBINS, INV. 122481 A); 1 spec., cruise PS69, ANT-XXIII/8, stn 614-3/4/5, Elephant Island, 60°52.37ʹ S, 55°29.80ʹ W, to 60°52.71ʹ S, 55°27.83ʹ W, 248–265 m, a lot of epifauna, Rauschert dredge and Agassiz trawl, 22 Dec. 2006, coll. C. d’Udekem d’Acoz and H. Robert (RBINS, INV. 122481 B); ca 20 specs, cruise PS69, ANT-XXIII/8, stn 614-3/4/5, Elephant Island, 60°52.37ʹ S, 55°29.80ʹ W to 60°52.71ʹ S, 55°27.83ʹ W, 248–265 m, a lot of epifauna, Rauschert dredge and Agassiz trawl, initially fixed with formalin, 22 Dec. 2006, coll. C. d’Udekem d’Acoz and H. Robert (RBINS, INV. 122535); 1 spec., cruise PS69, ANT-XXIII/8, stn 614-3/4/5, Elephant Island, 60°52.37ʹ S, 55°29.80ʹ W to 60°52.71ʹ S, 55°27.83ʹ W, 248–265 m, a lot of epifauna, Rauschert dredge and Agassiz trawl, initially fixed with formalin, 22 Dec. 2006, coll. C. d’Udekem d’Acoz and H. Robert (MNHN-IU-2014-7332, removed from RBINS, INV. 122535); 1 spec., initially fixed with formalin, cruise PS69, ANT-XXIII/8, stn 622-1, Elephant Island, 60°56.70ʹ S, 55°52.71ʹ W to 60°55.93ʹ S, 55°50.79ʹ W, 218–307 m, Agassiz trawl, 23 Dec. 2006, coll. C. d’Udekem d’Acoz and H. Robert (RBINS, INV. 122540).

Description

ROSTRUM. Long, just reaching tip of article 1 of peduncle of antenna 1 (teeth excluded), distinctly curved on both sides, subacute in lateral view.

EYE. Very large, broadly elliptic.

PEREION–PLEOSOME TOOTH PATTERN. Pereionites 1–4 without any trace of mid-dorsal tooth, without pair of dorsolateral teeth or protrusions; pereionite 2 slightly narrower than pereionite 1; pereionite 5 with trace of dorsoventrally flattened posterior mid-dorsal tooth (very obtuse in dorsal view, subacute in lateral view), with pair of flattened and indistinct dorsolateral protrusions or small teeth; pereionites 6–7 with small and low subacute mid-dorsal tooth, with pair of flattened dorsolateral protrusions; pleonites 1–3 with low, acute-tipped mid-dorsal tooth (apically broader on pleonite 3), which are not anteriorly angulate (but more or less regularly curved) and pair of small dorsolateral non-carinate teeth (of which none is duplicated); pleonite 3 with large acute-tipped mid-dorsal tooth bearing an inconspicuous trace of median concavity.

COXAE 1–3. Carinate; coxa 1 not tapering, distally very broad and very blunt; coxae 2–3 distally blunt and fairly broad.

COXA 4. Anteriorly forming a strong curve (not projecting much forward), where the anterodorsal and the anteroventral borders merge into each other without angular discontinuity; ventral tooth fairly long, narrow, apically acute, arching backwards, lateral carina without tooth but forming a very low, very bluntly angular lobe projecting laterally, carina very distant from margin of coxa at its deepest point.

COXA 5. With well developed, sharp and broadly triangular, lateral carinate tooth, of which the anterior border weakly diverges backwards and the posterior border is nearly perpendicular to body axis.

COXA 6. With mid-sized, subacute and broadly subtriangular, carinate, lateral tooth, of which the proximal half of the anterior border diverges backwards, the distal half of the anterior border is nearly parallel with body axis (transition between anterior and posterior half with angular discontinuity), and the posterior border is nearly perpendicular to body axis; posteroventral corner produced broadly rounded.

COXA 7. With ventral border distinctly curved, with posterior border weakly curved, their convergence forming a very blunt angular discontinuity.

EPIMERAL PLATES 1–3. Posteroventral angle produced into a long and sharp tooth (especially the third one).

UROSOME TOOTH PATTERN. Urosomite 1 with low and blunt triangular process pointing upwards; urosomite 2 with pair of small but sharp posterior dorsolateral teeth pointing upwards.

TELSON. Cleft on 0.3; tips of lobes subacute, slit forming a fairly broad V.

PEDUNCLE OF ANTENNA 1. Article 1 with tiny lateral and medial teeth and fairly small ventral tooth reaching half of article 2; article 2 without lateral tooth (it is replaced by a weak lobe) and two tiny medial teeth,

with small ventral tooth reaching about 0.3–0.5 of article 3; article 3 with well developed ventral tooth, slightly longer than article itself.

GNATHOPODS 1–2. Carpus and propodus fairly robust, propodus not narrowing distally, palm distinct.

PEREIOPODS 5–7. Merus, carpus and propodus slender; basis of pereiopods 5–6 of normal width, with posteroproximal process rounded, distinctly but not strongly protruding, with posterodistal tooth broadly triangular and strong; basis of pereiopod 7 very broad with posterodistal tooth triangular and sharp, followed more proximally by shallow concavity, directed posteriorly.

Colour pattern

Body, coxae and pereiopods studded with bright red or reddish small dots on a whitish background. In some specimens there is a large irregular red patch on the anterior half of the body. Eyes reddish to red.

Body length

Up to 40 mm.

Distribution

RV Polarstern cruise, PS56, ANT-XVIl/3, Stn. 171-3 (Lörz & Coleman 2001). Exact position: 63°00.10ʹ S, 060°30.70ʹ W to 63°00.10ʹ S, 60°31.00ʹ W [Bransfield Strait: Deception Island, outside of the caldera, near South East Point], 45–48 m (Arntz & Brey 2001). Elephant Island, 218–307 m (present material).

Remark

All the specimens of Epimeria reoproi examined by us have a pair of small postero-dorsolateral teeth on urosomite 2. Lörz & Coleman (2001) stated that urosomite 2 was smooth in the type material. However, a tiny postero-dorsolateral tooth pointing backwards is visible on their figure 1b, suggesting that their description is incorrect.