Memoirs of the Museum of Victoria 52(2): 263-275 (1991)
ISSN 0814-1827
NEW RECORDS OF MARINE ISOPOD CRUSTACEANS
(SPHAEROMATIDAE. CIROLANIDAE) FROM SOUTH-EASTERN AUSTRALIA
By Niel L. Bruce
Queensland Museum, PO Box 300, South Brisbane, Qld 4101, Australia
Abstract
Bruce, N.L., 1991. New records of marine isopod crustaceans (Sphaeromatidae, Cirolan-
idae) from south-eastern Australia. Memoirs of the Museum of Victoria 52: 263-275.
The sphaeromatid genus Baihycopea Tattersall. 1905, is recorded for the first time from
Australia and is the first record of the subfamily Ancininae from Australian waters. B.
typhlops Tattersall, 1905 is figured. Cirolana binyana sp. nov. is described from a single
specimen and its systematic position briefly discussed. The genus Politotana Bruce, 1981.
previously recorded only from the Atlantic, is recorded for the first time from Australia, and
P. dasyprion sp. nov. is described from a specimen taken in Bass Strait.
Introduction
The revisionary work on Australian Sphaero-
matidae by Keith Harrison and David Holdich
(summarised in Harrison and Holdich, 1984)
and on Australian Cirolanidae (Bruce. 1986)
resulted in a considerable increase in the num-
ber of genera and species known from Australia.
This paper records three species and a further
two genera new to Australian waters. This
demonstrates that even for these recently
revised families our knowledge is far from com-
plete. Baihycopea typhlops Tattersall is the first
record of the sphaeromatid subfamily Ancininae
from Australia.
Material is from the Australian Museum.
Svdney (AM) and the Museum of Victoria.
Melbourne (NMV).
Bathycopea Tattersall
Baihycopea Tattersall, 1905a: 601. — Tattersall.
1905b: 12.— Loyola e Silva, 1971: 215.— Kussakin,
1979: 366.
Ancinella Hansen, 1905: 1 14.
Type species. Bathycopea typhlops Tattersall,
1905, by monotypy.
Remarks. This genus has been diagnosed mosl
recently by Loyola and Silva (1971) and Kussa-
kin (1979). Although the valid date of publi-
cation for both Bathycopea and Ancinella
appears to be 1 905, the name Bathycopea is well
established, and Ancinella has long been
regarded as the junior synonym (initially by
Hansen, 1916). The genus is here recorded for
the first time from Australian waters.
The four species of the genus are known to
occur from a depth of 135 metres (present
record) to 4070 metres (Kussakin, 1979: 372).
Bathycopea typhlops Tattersall
Figures 1-3
Bathycopea typhlops Tattersall, 1905a: 601. — Tat-
tersall. 1905b: 3, 12, 65, pi. 3 figs 1-13.— Hansen.
1916: 179, 180, figs 7a-71. — Omer-Cooper and
Rawson. 1934: 48, pi. IV figs 1-13.— Loyola e Silva,
1971:216. Figs 2,3.— Kcnslev, 1978a: 144, fig. 13.—
Kenslev, 1978b: 115, fig. 50.— Kussakin. 1979: 366,
figs 227, 228.— Iverson, 1982: 249 (table 1).
Ancinella profunda Hansen, 1905: 132, 133.
Material examined. NSW. Eof Broken Bay (33°34.5'S.
15r41.0'E), 135 m, R.T. Springthorpcon RV Kapala.
10 Feb 1986 (AM P37257, non-ovigcrous female, 6.3
mm).
Tas. Off Freycinet Peninsula (42°02,2'S,
148°38.7'E), 800 m, coarse shelly sand bottom. M.F.
Gomon on RV Franklin, 27 Jul 1986 (NMV .119142,
non-ovigerous female. 2 juveniles). 48 km ENE of
Cape Tourville (42°00.25'S, 148°43.55'E), 1264 m,
gravel with lumps of sandy mud aggregate, G.C.B.
Poore et al. on RV Franklin, 30 Oct 1988 (NMV
J 19144, male, 2 females).
Vic. 67 km S of Point Hicks (38°23.95'S.
1 49°1 7.02'E), 1 277 m, fine mud, G.C.B. Poore et al. on
RV Franklin, 25 Oct 1988 (NMV .119143. 3 unsexed
specimens). S of Point Hicks (38°2I ,9'S. 149°20.0'E),
1000 m, G.C.B. Poore et al. on RV Franklin, 23 Jul
1988 (NMV J19140, 20 unsexed specimens).
Remarks. A single female specimen (AM
P37257) was examined and is figured. The
species is reasonably well known, and the mor-
phology of the pleotelson and uropods unambi-
guously distinguishes B. typhlops from the other
three species (all figured by Kussakin, 1979).
Comparison of these specimens with the
drawings of Tattersall (1905b), Loyola e Silva
(1971) and Kensley (1978a, b) reveal few differ-
ences. Kensley and Loyola c Silva figured the
cephalon fused to pereonite which is not the case
263
BioStor
