Notes on the occurrence of Orthoprotella spinigera Mori, 1996 (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Caprellidae) from Okinawa Island, Japan

Abstract

Orthoprotella spinigera Mori, 1996 (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Caprellidae) was collected from a coral reef at Oura Bay on the east coast of Okinawa Island, Japan. This is only the second record for O. spinigera. The type locality is the Amakusa Islands, Kyushu, ca. 700 km north of the current collection. The species may be widely distributed along the western and southern coasts of Japan. Orthoprotella spinigera appears similar to Metaprotella sandalensis Mayer, 1898, but differs in the head having a pair of apical rounded projections, lacking a triangular projection below the eye, and having longer fused pereonites 6 and 7.