Ceradocus (Denticeradocus) rubromaculatus (Stimpson 1856)

Ceradocus rubromaculatus (Stimpson)

Gammarus rubromaculatus Stimpson, 1855:394.

Moera rubromaculata.—Haswell 1880b: 267–268, pl. 10: fig. 4.

Ceradocus (Denticeradocus) rubromaculatus.—Sheard 1939: 280–283, fig. 2.

DIAGNOSIS (8+ mm).—In alcohol, eyes lacking black pigment; slit of lateral cephalic lobe deep, edges fully appressed, anteroventral corner below slit with small sharp tooth; antenna 1 with 3–4 ventral spines on article 1; gland cone of antenna 2 reaching or exceeding apex of article 3 of peduncle and bearing small-to-large accessory cusp; peduncle of antenna 2 well exceeding peduncle of antenna 1; article 3 of mandibular palp two-thirds as long as, or subequal to, article 1; coxa 1 with lateral ridge highly posteriad (like C. ramsayi); article 4 of gnathopods 1–2 with sharp posteroventral tooth; male gnathopod 2 with oblique convex palm, usually smooth and defined by weak cusp, but specimens from Western Australia bearing deep distal notch separating off distal tooth; posteroventral corner of article 2 on pereopods 3–5 with sharp process; telson with moderately attenuate apices each bearing 2–4 spines, generally only 2 spines highly elongate, plus 1 distal feathered seta and 2 basolateral feathered setae; pleonites 1–3 dorsally serrate evenly or some lateral teeth on pleonite 3 enlarged; pleonite 4 dorsally toothed evenly, middle tooth not larger than any other lateral tooth, but occasionally slightly larger than contiguous laterals; pleonite 5 with 3, 4, or up to 8 or 9 teeth, variable, occasionally with rudimentary to fully developed midline tooth, latter not larger than some laterals, often with midline tooth missing, thus appearing to have middle gap, this condition especially prevalent in specimens bearing only 4 teeth total, some lateral teeth becoming highly enlarged; pleonal epimera 1–3 grossly serrate posteriorly and slightly below, with at least 5 large teeth above small definitive tooth, epimera 1–2 with lateral ridge.

DISTRIBUTION.—Warm-temperate Australia, littoral and sublittoral.

Indo-Pacific, extending to South West Africa (Griffiths, 1974).