APHOTOMARINE

An educational resource dedicated mainly to the photography
and diversity of marine life that can be found in coastal waters
and intertidal areas of Great Britain and Ireland by David Fenwick.

A-P-H-O-T-O Wildlife Stock Image Library
Quadrimaera sp. - A maerid amphipod - a non-native species, Bovisand, Devon, 19.04.22. (Amphipods)
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Maerid amphipod
Quadrimaera species
- lateral view 1

Maerid amphipod
Quadrimaera species
- gnathopod 2 pair 1

Maerid amphipod
Quadrimaera species
- gnathopod 2 / microscope 1

Maerid amphipod
Quadrimaera species
- lateral view posterior 1

Maerid amphipod
Quadrimaera species
- with 0.1mm division rule 1

Maerid amphipod
Quadrimaera species
- habitat / location 1

Two specimens were found by the author, in a rock crevice near low tide level on a low spring tide at Bovisand, Devon, 19.04.22. This is likely the first record of Quadrimaera from Devon.

This species appears to be a new, potentially invasive non-native species for the UK. Quadrimaera species are incredibly difficult to identify and there may even be as many as three species of Quadrimaera present on coastlines of the English Channel, one so far in the UK, but the species are likely to share similar habitat i.e. lower littoral to shallow sublittoral rocky shores with large brown algae such as Laminaria and Saccorhiza. It may take some time to identify the species present here in the UK. There is a chance it could be a new cryptic species or indeed a hybrid that has formed as a result of bioinvasion we just don't know yet.

To date the author has also found Quadrimaera sp. at Long Rock reef, Penzance on 30.03.21 and at Albert Pier reef, Penzance on 31.03.21, on both occasions near low water on extreme low tides and associated with holdfasts of the brown alga Saccorhiza. This species is likely more widespread across the south coast of Cornwall and now Devon.

Quadrimaera species not Quadrimaera inaequipes maeridae maerid amphipod images
The main objective of this website is in furthering environmental awareness and education through the medium of photography. To increase awareness and access to the wildlife of the region and help
people find and identify it. Sometimes the difference between species is obvious but many species can only be determined by observing microscopic characteristics that are specific to any one species.