“Mothocya karobran sp. nov.
Material. Two ~ (non-ovig. 15.5, 18.1 mm), 3 (13.5mm), Pakistan, ex Strongylura leiura (USNM 216362). From Australia: 3~ (pleotelsons all damaged: ovig. c. 29.0, nonovig. c. 28.0, c. 25.5mm), 33 (18.5, 16.5, 16.2mm), Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef, Qld, 23°26.4'S, 151°43.4'E, 4.x.1980, ex 'Long Toms' (= Tylosurus sp.), coll. B. Kojis (QM Wt0275); ~ (ovig. 18-5mm), Port Bradshaw, NT. 25.vi.1948, ex Strongylura cf groeneri, coll. R. R. Miller (USNM 105880); 29 (32-0, 30-0 mm), Mannoning Park, Lake Macquarie, NSW, 6.x.1969, ex Strongylura leiura, coll. BBC (AM P35229); ~ (non-ovig.24-0 mm), 3 (17"2 mm), no data, examined by Hale, 1926 (AM P96113). From TyIosurus gavialoides: 2~ (non-ovig. 27.2, 25.5 mm), 23 (19-5, 17.2 mm), Great Barrier Reef, Qld, iv-v.1953, coll. Howard (USNM 101877); ~ (non-ovig. 20.2ram), 2 (17-0ram), Newcastle, NSW (USNM 216209); ~ (ovig. 26-0mm, HOLOTYPE QM W11726), S (c. 17"5 mm QM W10413), Jumpinpin, Moreton Bay, south-eastern Qld, 7.xii.1981, coll. J. Fields; 2~ (imm. 22.0, 21.2 mm), 23 (16.5, 15.0 mm), Botany Bay, Sydney, NSW, (NMV J 10645); ? (19.0 mm), 2 (imm. 13.0, 11.0 mm), Mannoning Park, Lake Macquarie, NSW, 6.ix.1969, coll. BBC (USNM 216208); ~ (ovig. 21-2, imm. 20-5 mm), Sydney fish market, from Lake Macquarie, NSW, 3 May 1976, BBC (AM P35228); ~ (non-ovig. 22-0 mm), 3 (18-0mm), NSW, Australia (USNM 216361).
Types. HOLOTYPE, QM W 11726; PARATYPES, QM W 10413, 10275, USNM 101877, 105880, 216208, 216209, 216361, AM P35228, P35229, NMV J10645.
Type-locality. Jumpinpin, Moreton Bay, south-eastern Queensland, Australia, 27°50'S 153°24'E.
Description of female. Body broad, widest at pereonite 3. Cephalon deeply immersed in pereonite 1, margin rounded, eyes moderate, 0.42q3.46 times width of cephalon. Coxae strongly expressed laterally, coxae of pereonites 5 to 7 about 1.56-2.41 times longer than wide, distinctly rectangular in appearance, not produced posteriorly beyond respective segment. Posterior margin of pereonite 7 weakly recessed. Pleon wide, 1.01-1.05 times width of pereonite 5; pleonite 1 concealed by pereonite 7, not narrower than other pleonites, lateral margins of pleonites 2 to 5 acute. Pleotelson wide, lateral margins converging slightly to broadly rounded apex. Maxilla with two spines each on medial and lateral lobe respectively; maxilliped article 3 with four recurved spines. Pereopods robust; palm of pereopods 1 to 3 slightly produced straight; peropod 7 larger than pereopod 1. Brood pouch with fourth anterior pair of oostegites, not visible in ventral view. Pleopods with rami elongate. Pleopod 1 peduncle with distinct lateral lobe; lateral lobe large on peduncles of pleopods 2 to 5. Proximomedial
lobe of pleopod 5 endopod distinctly larger than that of pleopod 4. Uropod extending to, or just short of posterior margin of pleotelson, peduncle about 1-5 times longer titan wide, lateral margin weakly convex. Exopod longer than endopod, curved medially, apex broadly rounded: endopod narrows rapidly to acute apex. Male. Uropod distinctly longer than pleotelson, both rami long, endopod shorter than exopod, narrows rapidly to acute apex. Pleopod 1 peduncle lateral lobe moderately large; lateral lobes on pleopod 2 to 5 peduncles prominent; proximomedial lobe on pleopods 3 to 5 endopods all large, that of pleopod 5 only slightly larger than that of pleopod 4; medial margins of all pleopod peduncles with coupling hooks, but absent in larger males, Penes prominent.
Colour. Females with few chromatophores on dorsal surface of cephalon, antennules and antenna, and at base of oostegites; males with scattered chromatophores over dorsum and sternum.
Size. Ovigerous females 18-5-32-0 ram, non-ovigerous females 20-0-30.0 ram, males 15.0-19-5 ram.
Variation. Specimens present a uniform appearance throughout their range. Small variations were seen in the morphology of the coxae, uropods and pleotelson.
Remarks. This species can be immediately recognized by the acute lateral margins of the pleonites, relatively long uropods with a slender endopod, and the rectangular appearance of the posterior coxal plates. The general appearance is of being broadest anteriorly (pereonite 3 is widest), with the cephalon deeply immersed into pereonite 1. Other characters are discussed under Remarks for Mothocya collettei to which this species is similar.
Hosts. Most specimens were taken from Strongylura gavialoides. Two specimens were taken from Strongylura leiura, these being amongst a series of about 60 Mothocya renardi, suggesting that S. leiura is not the normal host of Mothocya karobran.
Distribution. Eastern and northern Australia, from Lake Macquarie, NSW, along the Queensland coast (mainland and Great Barrier Reef) to the Northern Territory; one record from Pakistan, northern Indian Ocean.
Etymology. Karobran is an Aboriginal word meaning together.”
(Bruce, 1986: 1149-1152)
