Vibilia borealis Bate & Westwood
- Dataset
- A review of the hyperiidean amphipod superfamily Vibilioidea Bowman and Gruner, 1973 (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Hyperiidea)
- Rank
- SPECIES
Classification
- kingdom
- Animalia
- phylum
- Arthropoda
- class
- Malacostraca
- order
- Amphipoda
- family
- Vibiliidae
- genus
- Vibilia
- species
- Vibilia borealis
distribution
Distribution This species has a similar distribution pattern to V. jeangerardi, but is more common in the North Atlantic Ocean (up to 60 ° N), whereas V. jeangerardi is more common in the Mediterranean Sea. It has also been recorded from the southeastern Pacific Ocean, off the northwest coast of South America (Vinogradov 1990 a), and near New Zealand (Vinogradov et al. 1982). The record of Pirlot (1930) from the Sulu and Molucca Sea, near the Philippines, and the specimens examined from the USNM may represent a misidentification, as V. borealis seems to prefer colder waters, although the Galathea collected three specimens from the tropical southeastern Atlantic (4 º 00 ’ S, 8 º 25 ’ E).
materials_examined
Type material The only likely type material of V. borealis in the BMNH is a specimen from the Norman collection (11,719 – 20) labelled “ cotypes ”. The designation of “ type ” by Norman is suspect as there are many instances in the Norman Collection of material labelled as “ types’ which was collected after the species name was published (see also Thurston & Allen 1969). The type locality is the North Sea, off Banff, Scotland. Type material of synonyms The types of V. kroeyeri could not be located at the SMNH, ZMUC or in Uppsala and are considered lost. However, Stephensen (1923) mentions two specimens in the ZMUC which he believes might be types, marked “ V. borealis B & B? ”, but these could not be located. The synonymy of V. kroeyeri has been confirmed by the examination of specimens in museum collections labelled either V. borealis or V. kroeyeri. Material examined (65 specimens) North Atlantic: 25 lots (ZMUC), several lots (USNM), 40 specimens. South Atlantic: 1 lot (ZMUC), 3 specimens. Mediterranean: 1 lot (ZMH), 1 lot (ZMUC), 11 specimens. Central IndoPacific: 1 lot (USNM), 11 specimens. Diagnosis Body length up to 13 mm, but usually 6 – 7 mm. Antennae 1 as long as head and first two pereonites in males, slightly less in females; flagellum oval, distal margin rounded. Head with anterior margin forming a vertical or rounded projection above the base of A 1; more prominent in males. Gnathopod 2; carpal process slightly longer than half of propodus. Pereopods 3 & 4; dactylus length about 0.3 – 0.4 x propodus. Pereopods 5 & 6; dactylus length about 0.2 x propodus. Pereopod 7; basis rectangular, width about 0.8 x length, slightly shorter than ischium to carpus combined, with slight rounded posterodistal lobe barely overlapping ischium. Lateral corners of last urosomite not produced. Uropod 3; peduncle distinctly longer than rami; sexual dimorphism of endopod not evident. Telson roundishtriangular, length about half peduncle of U 3. Remarks This species is very similar to V. jeangerardi, but differs in the head shape, the relatively longer first antennae, the relatively longer dactylus of pereopods 3 – 6, the relatively narrower articles of pereopods 5 and 6, and the slightly more triangular telson. The figures and description of Bate and Westwood (1868) are insufficient to characterise the species, but Norman (1900), who apparently had some specimens from Bate and Westwood, concluded that it was the same as V. kroeyeri, which had been adequately described and figured by Bovallius (1887 c).
Name
- Homonyms
- Vibilia borealis Bate & Westwood