Coxicerberus mirabilis (Chappuis & Delamare-Deboutteville, 1956)

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Suggested Common Name: Wonderful Beach-Cerberus
Etymology: mīrābilis =  wonderful, miraculous [Latin], likely refering to the complex ♂ pleopod 2. Common name is a somewhat direct translation of the scientific name.
Taxonomic History: Microcerberus mirabilis Chappuis & Delamare-Deboutteville, 1956; Coxicerberus mirabilis Wägele, Voelz & Vaun McArthur, 1995
Size Range: to 1.1mm
Description: (modified from Chappuis & delamare-Deboutteville, 1956) Antenna 1 5-segmented, segments 1-2 as wide as long, segment 2 with apical lobes, segment 5 apically with aesthetasc. Antenna 2 elongate, 2x longer than antenna 1; peduncle 6-segmented, segment 3 with lateral lobe, segment 6 with distolateral plumose seta; flagellum 5-segmented, segment 5 with thin apical aesthetasc. Pereopods 2-7 claws relatively short. Pereonites 2-4 medial lobes short, somewhat subsquare, sometimes with 1-2 apical teeth (usually at corners), distolateral margin with large long seta; lateral lobes prominent, narrow, not differentiated from tergite, much longer than medial lobes, usually with blunt medial tooth; lateral margins with 1 seta posterior to lobes. ♂ pleopod 2 protopod rectangular; exopod small, ovate; endopod lateral lobe long, somewhat wide, constricted near tip to form subcircular apical process, lateral lamella present, transparent, evenly convex, apical lobe long hyaline, bilobed with notch shallow, set laterally, proximoapical lobe 2x longer than distoapical lobe, directed slightly proximally, medial lobe elongate, narrow, tapered, almost as long as apical lobe but directed medially, medial lamella acute. Uropod exopod extremely minute, almost entirely lost, with 1 apical seta appearing to be set at proximolateral corner of endopod; endopod with 3 apical flattened plumose setae.
Geographic Range: Known from the inlet southwest of Alice Town in Bimini (Bahamas) and Sebatian Inlet (Florida). Occurs in coarse sand the lower intertidal about 20-30cm beneath the beach surface. Interestingly, both locations were in lagoon inlets, although it is still unknown if this species specifically occurs in inlets due to the very small number of known localities. It does contrast with the locations where the 2 other species of Coxicerberus described from Bimini were found (see the accounts for C. renaudi and C. littoralis for more information)
Notes: C. mirabilis is most similar to C. nunezi, see the key for more information. This is currently one of the more widely reported Caribbean member of Coxicerberus, although this is overshadowed by the fact that this species has only been recorded twice.

Sources

Chappuis, P. A., & Deboutteville, C. D. (1956). Études sur la faune interstitielle de Iles Bahamas récoltée par Madame Renaud-Debyse. I Copépodes et Isopodes. Vie et Milieu, 7(3):373-396.

Wägele, J. W. (1982) Isopoda (Crustacea: Peracarida) ohne Oostegite: Über einen Microcerberus aus Florida. Mitt. Zool. Mus. Uni. Kiel, 1(9):19-23

Wägele, J. W., Voelz, N. J., & Vaun McArthur, J. (1995). Older than the Atlantic Ocean: discovery of a fresh-water Microcerberus (Isopoda) in North America and erection of Coxicerberus, new genus. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 15(4):733-745.

Published: Feb 15, 2023