Euphilomedes sinister Kornicker 1974

Euphilomedes sinister

Philomedes interpuncta.—Brady, 1868b:463, pl. 33: figs. 10–13, pl. 41: fig. 3; 1871:293, pl. 26: figs. 1–5; 1872:60, pl. 1: figs. 5.—Müller, 1894:210, pl. 3: figs. 1–2, 5–16, 19–20, 24–28.—Brady and Norman, 1896:656, pl. 56: figs. 6–10, pl. 57.—Fage, 1934:249, figs. 1–2—Caraion, 1959:266, fig. 1 [not Baird, 1850].

ETYMOLOGY.—The specific name from the Latin sinister (left) refers to the posterior spines of the carapace being restricted to the left valve.

HOLOTYPE.—One female without eggs in the Zoological Station of Naples. The valves and some appendages in alcohol; remaining appendages on slides; length 1.24 mm.

TYPE-LOCALITY.—Benta Palumma, station B27, 90 M, Gulf of Naples, Italy.

MATERIAL.—One female from station B27, Gulf of Naples, collected by Harbans S. Puri and Gioacchino Bonaduce. I also had the opportunity to examine briefly while at the Zoological Station at Naples in 1966, three of Müller’s specimens in the collection of the Zoological Institute of Greifswald (GMZ 25008).

DISTRIBUTION.—Gulf of Naples; Loch Long, Fosse de Cap Breton (Bay of Biscay), Cumbrae (Brady and Norman, 1896:657); Bosporus, 41°25′S, 28° 59′E (Caraion, 1959:266).

Euphilomedes sinister Kornicker, 1974

A new subspecies Euphilomedes sinister pentathrix is proposed herein because it has 4 ventral bristles on the 2nd joint of the female 2nd antenna compared to only 1 on specimens from the Gulf of Naples and Plymouth Sound. To test the hypothesis that the west African and European populations comprise two subspecies, it will be necessary to examine the variability in the number of bristles on the 2nd joint of the female 2nd antenna when more specimens become available for study. The specimens of Brady, 1868, Brady and Norman, 1896, Fage, 1934, and Caraion, 1959, have been retained in the synonomy of E. sinister sinister because they were collected in the vicinity of Europe, although the number of bristles on the 2nd joint of the endopodite of the female 2nd antenna of those specimens is unknown. It will be necessary to reexamine the specimens in order to verify the subspecies to which they belong.