September, 1999 
SCAMIT Newsletter 
Vol. 18, No.5 
will be redefined to better discriminate 
between species. Please note the illustration of 
Bousfield and Chevrier of shoemakeri shows a 
condition which would have been scored as 1 
in this character. In Mills original description, 
however, the illustrated condition was scored 
as 0 and this was used in the table. 
Comparison of specimens with the character 
table should yield presumptive identifications. 
These should be checked against the 
descriptions and illustrations of the species in 
Bousfield and Chevrier (1996) and, in the case 
of rectipalmum and shoemakeri , against the 
original descriptions of Mills (1962), which do 
not agree in all particulars with the later 
reports. The SCAMIT voucher sheet for 
Synchelidium rectipalmum was found to 
disagree with the original description in the 
configuration of the lobe on the basis of P7, 
and should be used with caution. 
Our discussion of oedicerotids, as well as other 
non-polychaete groups will continue at the 
meeting scheduled for 18 October at the San 
Diego lab. By then we should all have been 
able to apply the above character table to our 
specimens, and have comments to make about 
their applicability and validity as separatory 
tools. If you find them wanting, try and come 
up with suggested alternatives by the meeting. 
Sigambra ALERT 
- Tom Parker (CSDLAC) 
Licher & Westheide (1997) review the 
descriptions and taxonomy of Sigambra bassi 
and S. tentaculata. Previously local workers 
have relied upon various features to identify 
Sigambra species. The use of soft tissue 
features such as median antennal length 
relative to lateral antennal length, prostomial 
margin shape, and papillae on the proboscis 
have been utilized. Hard features such as the 
first occurrence of setigers with hooked setae 
have also been counted upon as final 
determinations of whether S. tentaculata , bassi , 
or setosa specimens were present. 
The following brief table (see Table 2., pg 12) 
is a synopsis comparing the relevant 
determining factors used in the MMS Atlas 
versus those reviewed by Licher & Westheide. 
It seems likely that a local review of practices 
and specimens is needed to standardize our 
identifications. 
FOLLOW UP 
The specimen of the crab genus Palicus seen at 
the meeting on 16 August has been further 
examined and is an example of Palicus lucasii 
from California. The first reported specimen 
from local waters was taken in 1994 by 
CSDLAC off Palos Verdes. Reexamination of 
that specimen with the comparative material of 
the second specimen, and additional material 
from the Galapagos, Panama, and the Gulf of 
California has shown the original ID as P. 
lucasii to be incorrect. This second specimen, 
like the first, is a male. Examination of the 
male pleopods by Dr. Todd Zimmerman 
(NHMLAC) confirmed the identity of the 
second specimen, which was taken in 124 ft. of 
water at ITP station 2101 off Imperial Beach. 
The identify of the first specimen from off 
Palos Verdes was later established by Todd as 
P. cortezi (Crane 1937), originally described 
from the Gulf of California. This is a new 
record for California, and will be added to the 
emendations to be made to the 3 rd Edition of 
the SCAMIT list. Many thanks to Todd for his 
efforts in clarifying the identity of these 
difficult animals. 
MORE CHANGE 
Our coast has two representatives of the 
synopiid amphipod genus Tiron, or it used to. 
It has finally been recognized that the presence 
of a mandibular palp in T. biocellata, and it’s 
absence in T. tropakis, is of no small 
significance. Reference to Barnard & Karaman 
(1991) shows both species still listed under 
Tiron. The same authors, however, include as a 
valid generic level taxon Metatiron 
Rabindranath 1972. As pointed out by Thomas 
(1993), Barnard & Karaman failed to reallocate 
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