Vibilia chuni Behning & Woltereck 1912
- 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 chuni
distribution
Distribution This is a relatively rare species known mainly from the tropical waters of the world’s oceans. However, it was relatively common and abundant in collections from off the east coast of South Africa (SAM).
materials_examined
Type material The five syntypes of V. chuni are in the ZMB (209190). Behning and Woltereck (1912) do not specify a holotype. They record four specimens from the midAtlantic, from Valdivia Stns 46 (1 º 27.8 ’ N, 10 º 16.5 ’ W) and 49 (0 º 20 ’ N, 6 º 45 ’ W). The figured female is from Stn. 46. Type material of synonyms The type of V. hodgsoni is in the BMNH (1914.2.25.117). It is clearly the same as V. chuni. Stewart (1913) had most likely written her paper before the publication of Behning and Woltereck (1912) became available and thus was unaware that her species had already been described. Material examined (137 specimens) Types. Five syntypes of V. chuni from Valdivia Stns. 46 and 49: all in spirit; one intact female and three other specimens, one with A 1 missing and one with the Us missing, from Stn. 49 and one female, dissected on the left with Us missing, from Stn. 46. Holotype of V. hodgsoni, male (?), approximately 6 mm, from near Cape of Good Hope, 36 º 03 ’ S, 12 º 50 ’ E, Discovery, 1 st October, 1901: microscope slide of G 1 & 2 and P 7, remainder in spirit. Other material examined. Tasman Sea: 1 lot (AM), 1 specimen. North Atlantic: 1 lot (USNM), 7 lots (ZMB), 8 specimens. North Pacific: 2 lots (LACM), 3 lots (USNM), 6 specimens. South Pacific: 2 lots (BMNH), 3 specimens. South Indian: 45 lots (SAM), 7 lots (SAMA), 103 specimens. Diagnosis Body length up to 7.5 mm. Antennae 1 slightly longer than head and first two pereonites; flagellum oval, ventral margin somewhat oblique for distal third. Gnathopod 2; carpal process about halflength of propodus. Pereopods 3 & 4; dactylus length about 0.3 x propodus. Pereopods 5 & 6; dactylus length about 0.2 x propodus. Pereopod 7; basis rectangular, almost twice as long as wide, half as long again as ischium to dactylus combined, with rounded margins and rounded posterodistal lobe overlapping ischium. Lateral corner of last urosomite produced, partly overlapping peduncle of U 3. Uropod 3; peduncle distinctly longer than rami; endopod subequal in length to exopod in females, in males the endopod is slightly broader and longer and apically rounded. Telson triangular, rounded terminally, length about half peduncle of U 3. Remarks This is one of the most readily recognisable species of Vibilia. The combination of characters given in the diagnosis, particularly the shape of antennae 1, the urosome, and pereopod 7, readily distinguish V. chuni from all its congeners.