Diseases of spiny lobsters: a review.

The American amphipod species Melita nitida andIncisocalliope aestuarius have been found in the WesternScheldt estuary (the Netherlands). This is the first record of these species inthe north-east Atlantic. Shipping is the most likely vector of introduction.Thedistribution of both species is investigated and compared with the distributionand the microhabitat of co-occurring amphipod species. Melitanitida is known from both the east and west coast of North Americaand I. aestuarius originates from the east coast of NorthAmerica. Until now neither has been reported from other parts of the world. Inthe Netherlands both species are restricted to the mesohaline part of theWestern Scheldt. Melita nitida occurs predominantly underPacific oysters at the underside of boulders, mainly sublittorally.Incisocalliope aestuarius is associated to hydrozoans.Bothmicrohabitats are hardly utilized by other amphipod species. Therefore, thetheory that the existence of many empty niches in north-western Europeanbrackish waters make this environment particularly susceptible to invasions ofalien species is corroborated. The application of hard substrates in a regionoriginally predominated by soft bottoms moreover facilitates the introductionofexotic species. The species community on hard substrates in the mesohaline partof the Western Scheldt contains a high proportion of introduced species:approximately one third of the macrofauna species is of allochthonous origin.

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The North-American amphipods, Melita nitida Smith, 1873 and Incisocalliope aestuarius (Watling and Maurer, 1973) (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Gammaridea), introduced to the Western Scheldt estuary (The Netherlands)

The Amphipoda of the South China Sea are catalogued. Based on the literature, 48 families, 113 genera and 272 species are recorded. Gammaridean amphipods have effectively been studied from only three areas - Hong Kong, several sites in Vietnam and several sites in the Philippines. There are additional small study sites in Singapore and the Spratly Islands. Based on these studies 31 gammaridean families, 67 genera and 153 species have been recorded, the vast majority of these taxa come from the Central-western and North-western South China Sea. In nearly all recorded families the genera and species appear to be poorly represented. By comparison Ruffo (1982; 1989; 1993) has reported 51 families, 157 genera and 450 species of gammaridean and caprellidean amphipods from the Mediterranean Sea. Important habitats for amphipods such as algal forests, seagrass meadows and coral reefs have not been studied in the South China Sea. No caprellidean or ingolfiellidean amllhipods have been reported. Hyperiidean amphipods appear to be more widely collected and studied (17 hyperiidean families, 46 genera and 119 species). More than half of all hyperiidean families have been reported from this area. Much work needs to be done in the South China Sea before amphipod biodiversity can be properly assessed and understood.

Taxonomic status of amphipod crustaceans in the south china sea with a checklist of known species

This paper presents an overview of the known associations between amphipods and other crustaceans. Such associations are quite common and widely distributed among the different amphipod clades, and in most cases show a high degree of host specialisation. They can roughly be divided into 5 groups: 1) living among the epifauna of large Crustacea, 2) living directly on the surface or appendages of their crustacean hosts, 3) living among the eggs of their crustacean hosts, 4) living in the permanent burrows of infaunal crustaceans, and 5) living on or in gastropod shells tenanted by hermit crabs. This survey concentrates on groups 2-4.

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Amphipods as associates of other Crustacea: a survey

Described is Melita mirzajanii n. sp. (Melitidae) from the southwestern corner of the Caspian Sea. It shows no particular similarity to any species known from the Mediterranean Sea. It inhabits, as the only amphipod species, dense growths of Amphibalanus cf. improvisus (Darwin 1854) in a port, at low and highly fluctuating salinities. Its most striking characters are: absence of any pleonal or urosomal dorsal teeth (projections), elongated distal article of the mandibular palp, hind margin of last pereopod bases strongly narrowed distad, and epimera posterodistally rectangular. An identification key for the species group of Melita without dorsal teeth and without article 2 on the exopodite of the third uropod is provided.

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Melita mirzajanii n. sp. (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Melitidae), a puzzling new member of the Caspian fauna

A new species of amphilochid amphipod, Gitanopsis iseebi, is described, based on both fe­ male and male specimens which were collected from the branchial chamber of a spiny lobster, Panuli­ rusjaponicus (von Siebold), at Shirahama, Wakayama, Japan. This new species is sexually dimorphic in the gnathopods l and 2; their palmar corners are distinctly produced in the male. This new species is similar to Afrogitanopsis pagwi (Myers, 1974), from a pagurid, Dardanus megistos (Herbst) in Kenya, but distingmshable by the antenna 1 and epimeral plates. Taxonomic problems of the family Am­ philochidae and the genus Afrogitanopsis are briefly discussed.

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Shigeyuki Yamato

Papers

A New Amphilochid Species (Crustacea : Amphipoda : Amphilochidae) from a Spiny Lobster