Melita lowryi, a new species of Melitidae (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Senticaudata) from New Zealand, and the redescription of Melita festiva (Chilton, 1885) from Australia

Abstract

The identity of Melita festiva (Chilton, 1885) is established with the redescription and re-illustration of material collected from near the type locality Port Jackson [Sydney Harbour], New South Wales, Australia. In 1916, Chilton supplemented the original description, using misidentified material from Auckland Harbour, New Zealand. This material is described as Melita lowryi sp. nov. Melita festiva (Chilton, 1885) was tentatively placed in the genus Ledoyeromelita Labay, 2016, based on tenuous evidence and the reasons for the exclusion of Melita festiva based on current redescriptions are discussed. Melita festiva was previously known only from the type locality. New Australian distribution records extend its range to southern New South Wales and Victoria.

Keywords

• taxonomy
• new species
• melita