Australian Axiidae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Axiidea) Author Poore, Gary C. B. Author Collins, David J. text Memoirs of Museum Victoria 2009 2009-12-31 66 2 221 287 https://museumsvictoria.com.au/collections-research/journals/memoirs-of-museum-victoria/volume-66-issue-2-2009/pages-221-287/ journal article 10.24199/j.mmv.2009.66.20 1447-2554 12208159 Michelaxiopsis gen. nov. Type species. Axiopsis ( Axiopsis ) australiensis De Man, 1925 , herein designated. Diagnosis . Carapace and abdomen smooth or covered with numerous stiff setae; cervical groove visible laterally over most of distance to anterolateral margin. Rostrum triangular, broad, laterally denticulate, longer than eyestalks, slightly depressed below level of carapace, continuous with definite lateral carinae; supraocular spines barely differentiated from other spines; lateral carina beaded; submedian carina present, beaded, duplicated as hair-pin shape; median carina toothed and beaded; postcervical carina absent. Abdominal somite 1 pleuron acute; pleuron 2 broad, anteriorly rounded, posteriorly rounded; pleura 3–5 posteriorly rounded. Eyestalk cylindrical, articulating; cornea pigmented. Antenna, scaphocerite long, acute. Maxilliped 3 exopod not clearly bent at base of flagellum. Pleurobranchs present above pereopod 2–4; podobranchs and arthrobranchs well developed; epipods present on maxilliped 2 to pereopod 4. Pereopods 1 asymmetrical (in male), with propodus cylindrical; carpus-dactylus upper margins smooth. Pereopods 3–4 propodi with transverse rows of robust setae; dactyli tapering, with longitudinal row of robust setae. Pleopods 3–5, appendix interna present. Pleopod 1 of male absent. Pleopod 2 of male without appendix masculina. Uropodal exopod with transverse suture. Telson with lateral fixed spines and posterolateral robust setae; apex truncate-rounded. Figure 25. Eiconaxius parvus ( Bate, 1888 ) . a, b, dorsal and lateral views of anterior carapace, peduncles of antennule and antenna. c, telson and right uropod. d, major cheliped (left). e, minor cheliped (right). All figures prepared for publication by DJC from pencil drawings of the holotype by Paul Clark. Etymology . This species is dedicated to the late Michèle de Saint Laurent (1926–2003) who in 1990 alerted the first author to the probability that the type species belonged to a new genus. Remarks . Although superficially similar to species of Axiopsis , the type species and the second described below differ in two important characters. Pleurobranchs are present and well developed over pereopods 2–4 (absent and probable apomorphy in Axiopsis ) and the male pleopod 2 lacks an appendix masculina (present and probable plesiomorphy in Axiopsis ).