Ceradocus crenatipalma Ledoyer 1979

Ceradocus crenatipalma Ledoyer, 1979

(Figs 2, 3)

Ceradocus crenatipalma Ledoyer, 1979: 62, fig. 34. — Ledoyer, 1983: 162, figs 434–435.

Material examined. 1 male, 2 juvenile, AM P77697 ( JDT / OPH 2); 1 male, 1 male sub-adult (2 slides), AM P70734 (QLD 1643).

Type locality. Toliara (Tuléar), Madagascar (~ 23°25'S 43°42'E).

Description. Based on male, 7.0 mm, AM P77697.

Head. Head with anteroventral notch. Antenna 1 peduncular article 2 subequal to article 1, accessory flagellum with more than 4 articles. Antenna 2 article 4 longer than article 5. Mandible palp article 1 distally pointed and lengthened; article 3 shorter than third article 2. Maxilla 1 inner plate triangular, with about 20 setae. Maxilla 2 inner plate with row of mediofacial setae.

Pereon. Gnathopod 1 coxa anterodistally pointed; propodus and carpus subequal. Gnathopod 2 asymmetrical, larger gnathopod with palm nearly to fully transverse, propodus length 1.5–1.8 x width, half of palm with up to 4 wave-shaped shallow humps; smaller gnathopod with palm strongly oblique to nearly transverse, palm smooth, propodus length more than 2 x width. Pereopod 7 basis posterior margin smooth, length 1.8 x width.

Pleon. Epimeron 1 posterior margin dorsally serrated, posteroventral margin smooth, ventral margin with one shallow incision. Epimeron 2 posterior margin dorsally serrated, posteroventral margin smooth, ventral margin with one shallow incision. Epimeron 3 dorsally serrated, posterior margin ventrally serrated, ventral margin with 2 incisions. Urosomite 1 with small blunt mediodorsal spine and 1 spine on each side; urosomite 2 with 1 small medial spine and several small lateral ones. Uropod 3 with many robust setae, rami about 2x length of peduncle, length:width = 4. Telson with lateral plumose setae, subdistally 2-3 long robust setae, the longer ones longer than telson.

Female (sexually dimorphic characters). Not known from GBR collections.

Habitat. Coral rubble and sponge, 2–5 m depth.

Remarks. One third of the known species has a transverse palm on the second gnathopod. Ceradocus chevreuxi differs from all of them in having a U-shaped and well defined incision near the palmar corner of gnathopod 2 and shorter telson spination. It differs from C. hawaiensis in lacking a medial spine on the metasome segments. It differs from C. natalensis Griffiths, 1974, by having a gnathopod 2 palmar corner of more than 90° and an accessory flagellum of 9 articles, from C. oliveri Appadoo & Myers, 2006 and C. ramsayi (Haswell, 1879b), by 2–3 V-shaped incisions near the palmar corner, and from C. oliveri by the very narrow and smaller gnathopod 2 as well as narrow pereopod bases. The gnathopod 2 palm of C. selickensis Sheard, 1939, is smooth, and in C. spinifera Ledoyer, 1973, there is a molar-shaped hump near the dactylus insertion. Ceradocus yandala Berents, 1983, has a much slimmer shaped gnathopod 2 propodus. This species is new for Australia.

Distribution. Australia. Queensland: Lizard Island, Orpheus Island (current study). Madagascar (Ledoyer 1979, 1983).