Curidia debrogania, a New Genus and Species of Amphipod (Crustacea: Ochlesidae) from the Barrier Reefs of Belize, Central America

The family Ochlesidae is amended to include the new genus Curidia, which differs from all other members by possessing maxiIIipedal palps. Curidia debrogania is described and compared to other genera and species within the family Ochlesidae. Curidia debrogania is plesiomorphic by possession of maxillipedal palps, suggesting this member of the small, cryptic family might have originated in the tropical Western Atlantic. Distribution records and ecological notes are included

Ecology and Behavior of Maxillipius commensalis, a Gorgonophile Amphipod from Madang, Papua New Guinea (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Maxillipiidae)

Maxillipius commensalis Lowry, is reported as an ectocommensal on arborescent gorgonaceans from coral reefs at Madang, Papua New Guinea. The family is reviewed and the male of this species is described. In-situ behavior studies show the amphipods to crowd close together in large numbers on one side of a gorgonian stalk. The terminal articles of the sixth pereopods are greatly elongated and whip-like and are waved at the sides in a circular motion, possibly facilitating spacing or feeding. When disturbed, the amphipods react en masse as a coherent group rather than as individuals

Predicting Biodiversity Patterns in Deep Water Coral Ecosystems: Lessons from Phylogenetic Studies of Shallow Water Coral Reef Crustacea

Comprehensive studies of coral reef biodiversity suggest that diversity patterns may be more congruent with geotectonic events than with the reigning paradigms of dispersal, center of origin, and vicariance. Geotectonic processes slowly accumulate taxa in areas exemplified by the presence of composite or lineage-based evolutionary diversity. This process-pattern model can suggest additional areas where similar patterns are likely to occur. Information on types and levels of diversity should be a primary concern in emerging conservation efforts for deepwater coral ecosystems. Current marine conservation efforts in shallow reef systems rely primarily on identifying “hotspots” that reflect measures of species richness and endemicity rather than intrinsic evolutionary relationships. Recent phylogenetic and molecular research from shallow reef systems questions the validity of the hotspot approach. Biodiversity assembly rules for both deep-sea and shallow coral assemblages are likely congruent and thus should exhibit similar diversity patterns. Given logistic and expense concerns in studying deep coral systems, a predictive and testable biodiversity model that suggests areas where composite, lineage-based diversity may be located would help focus and allocate scarce resources

Moolapheonoides utmas, New Species, from Coral Reefs in the Madang Lagoon, Papua New Guinea (Amphipoda, Cyproideidae)

Moolapheonoides utmas, new species, is described from coral reefs at Madang, Papua New Guinea. M. utmas differs from other species in the genus by the large tooth-cusp projecting posteroventrally on article 2 of pereopod 7 and the lower dorsal crest of the urosome. It shares an unusual dorsolateral bulbous projection of pereonite segments 3 and 4 with other cyproideid species Hoplopohoenoides obessa Shoemaker from Florida, and Naraphoenoides mullaya Barnard from Australia. Identification keys for the genus Moolaphoenoides are presented and relationships to other genera in the family are discussed

Biological Monitoring and Tropical Biodiversity in Marine Environments: A Critique with Recommendations, and Comments on the Use of Amphipods as Bioindicators

Preoccupations with regulatory and legal liability issues in marine environmental monitoring have led to programmes based on reductionist models that use nonbiological parameters which are indirect measures of biotic condition. The ability to assess the effectiveness of current monitoring programmes to protect the marine environment at regional and national scales does not currently exist. Current monitoring programmes rarely serve the function for which they were intended: an accurate and sensitive source of information from which conditions and trends can be defined and recognized, and management decisions made. In addition, the natural variability of systems is problematic and must be documented in order to distinguish natural from anthropogenic changes in environmental conditions. Owing to their ecological importance, numerical abundance, and sensitivity to a variety of toxicants and pollutants, amphipod crustaceans have long been known as sensitive environmental indicators. However, application and use of amphipods in such programmes is limited to the few regions where ongoing comprehensive taxonomic and natural history investigations have been undertaken. Potential for amphipods as bioindicators exists in a wide variety of environments, especially in the tropics, but their incorporation into such programmes is dependent upon completion of taxonomic surveys and inventories

A New Species of Cerapus from Cudjoe Channel, Lower Florida Keys, USA, with Notes on Male Behaviour (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Corophioidea)

Cerapus cudjoe is described from Cudjoe Channel in the Lower Florida Keys, USA, where it lives primarily on the hydroid, Cnidoscyphus marginatus (Allman), in channels subject to strong tidal flow. The species is characterized by the shape of the palm of male gnathopod 2, and the huge peduncular hook on male uropod 1 which distinguishes it from all congeners. Males were observed swimming during slack tide and actively seeking females in presumed precopulatory behaviour

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

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

Podocerus kleidus, New Species from the Florida Keys (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Dulichiidae)

Podocerus kleidus, a new species from high-current channels in the Florida Keys, is described. The species is very close to P. fulanus from marine channels in California but differs in the strongly cleft coxa I

Wombalano yerang, New Genus and Species of Corophioid (Crustacea, Amphipoda) from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Wombalano is characterized by having a interlocked basket of large spines on the bases of male gnathopod 2; these bases arc curved inward to afford the interlocking capability. This genus differs from Lemboides Stebbing in the even more shortened inner ramus of uropod 3, in the simple mandibular palp, the fused articles of the flagellum on antenna 2, and the immense basket-shovel formed of spines on articl 2 of male gnathopod 2