August, 1999 
SCAMIT Newsletter 
Vol. 18, No. 4 
Mayerella sp SD1 has an elongate article 2 
(approx twice the length of article 1) and a very 
small third article that is indistinctly separate 
(partially fused to article 2). After seeing 
several specimens, the new species can be 
readily distinguished by the two long, robust 
setae that emanate from the distal end of P5, 
article 2. M. banksia have relatively thin setae 
visible along the distal half of P5 (articles 2 
and 3). 
Caprellidae sp SD1 
The second species can also be easily mistaken 
for M. banksia if one is not careful. This 
species, Caprellidae sp SD1, has 2-segmented 
pereopods on pereonites III and IV, but no P5. 
Additionally, the mandibular palp appears to be 
vestigial, and seems to be represented by a 
single seta.” 
After examining Dean’s Mayerella sp SD1, 
Don suggested the next step would be to check 
Benedict 1977 and look at the description of M. 
acanthopoda. This has been done and the ID 
confirmed as M. acanthopoda. 
There was no resolution for Caprellidae sp SD1 
other than it is being removed to ordinal level 
and will be referred to as Caprellidea sp SD1. 
Don and Dean discovered a strange “ping- 
pong” paddle shaped structure on the 5 th leg on 
closer examination. This will require some 
literature research to identify and deal with. 
The next group to be discussed were tanaids. 
Dean had a specimen he’d referred to as 
Paraleptognathia cf gracilis from a Channel 
Islands station in 106 m of water. The chelae 
did not match the description for those of P. cf. 
gracilis , more closely matching those of 
Scoloura phillipsi , but the animal keyed to P. 
cf. gracilis in Dojiri & Sieg 1997. At this point 
there was no resolution and the specimen was 
recorded as Tanaidacea sp SD1. Many points of 
the anatomy of the chelae, legs and urosome 
matched closely with Scoloura , but the 
specimen totally lacked the lateral urosomal 
spines which characterize S. phillip si, and are 
treated as generic level characters in definition 
of the genus. 
Lastly, a strange Euphilomedes from San Diego 
Bay. The carapace of the animal was very 
similar to E. carcharodonta, however, the 
formula of the caudal furca did not match the 
description of the aforementioned animal. The 
specimen will be referred to as Euphilomedes 
sp SD2. 
AMPHIPODS TOO 
During our monitoring trawl series at 
CSDLAC we routinely encounter fish parasites 
in abundance: (1) isopods on a variety of 
species; (2) copepods on Pacific Sanddabs, 
sharks and a few more; (3) leeches on many 
species, and (4) turbellarian flatworms on 
halibut. Now, after years of searching, I can 
report parasitic amphipods too. At our 
monitoring station T1-305 in 1000' of water we 
took an unusual fish [for us] during our August 
trawls; a large Sebastes melanostomus , or 
Black Gill Rockfish. While it was examined to 
determine it’s species small animals came off 
the head of the fish, and were picked up on the 
hands of my co-worker Bill Power. He 
directed my attention to them, and I collected 
47 individuals from the fish by the time I was 
convinced there were no more to be had. 
They proved to be members of the exclusively 
parasitic amphipod family Laphystiidae, last 
reported from our waters by Brad Myers in the 
70’s. Literature on the group is scant, but there 
is one paper which treats the North American 
species (Bousfield 1987). The current animals 
seem to belong to the genus Protolaphystius in 
having a coxal gill on the seventh leg. The 
rostral configuration and first urosomal 
segment do not, however, match with the only 
described species in the genus, Protolaphystius 
madillae Bousfield 1987. In that paper he 
mentions a second (undescribed) species 
which belongs to the genus. It had been 
reported in the literature as Laphystius 
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