Esquete, Patricia, Fernandez-Gonzalez, Victoria
Description, systematics and ecology of a new tanaidacean (Crustacea, Peracarida) species from mediterranean fish farms
Helgoland Marine Research. 2016, 70:27. doi:10.1186/s10152-016-0480-9
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10045/62718
DOI: 10.1186/s10152-016-0480-9
ISSN: 1438-387X (Print)
Abstract: 
An undescribed species of tanaidacean belonging to the genus Hexapleomera, tribe Pancolini, Hexapleomera bultidactyla sp. nov. was found in fouling community samples from off-coast fish farms cages in the western Mediterranean Sea. The species can be distinguished from other Hexapleomera species by the presence of a ventral apophysis on the dactylus of the chela in males. Other diagnostic characters (in combination) include a male antennule with five aesthetascs, the female with three, the maxillule palp with four terminal setae and maxilliped basis and coxa each with two setae; the male fixed finger with four ventral setae and proximal apophysis, the female chela fixed finger with a proximal triangular apophysis, an apophysis on the coxa of pereopod 1, a pleopod 3 basis with three outer setae, and an uropod of four segments. Although several substrata were investigated, the species was most abundant where the turf formed by Ceramiaceae algae and the hydroid Aglaophenia sp. was dominant. An updated identification key to all the species of Hexapleomera is provided.
Keywords:Hexapleomera, Mediterranean, Aquaculture facilities, Fouling, Fecundity
BioMed Central
info:eu-repo/semantics/article