A new species of Aphantolana Moore & Brusca, 2003 (Crustacea: Isopoda Cirolanidae) from the Andaman Islands, northern Indian Ocean Author Anil, Pathan 0000-0003-2995-1988 Department of Ocean Studies and Marine Biology, Pondicherry University, Brookshabad Campus, Port Blair- 744 112, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, India & anil. federer 070 @ gmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 2995 - 1988 anil.federer070@gmail.com Author Jayaraj, K. A. 0000-0002-4767-1376 Department of Ocean Studies and Marine Biology, Pondicherry University, Brookshabad Campus, Port Blair- 744 112, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, India & jayarajun @ rediffmail. com; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 4767 - 1376 jayarajun@rediffmail.com text Zootaxa 2020 2020-10-14 4860 4 541 552 journal article 8218 10.11646/zootaxa.4860.4.4 0b63bf08-8d1b-45c3-86c8-b591d108492c 1175-5326 4414315 2DE5D7F0-377F-4426-BCD5-8107B6EC41A1 Genus Aphantolana Moore & Brusca, 2003 Aphantolana Moore & Brusca 2003:1329–1399 . Type species . Metacirolana costaricensis Brusca and Iverson, 1985 ; by original designation. Remarks. A diagnosis has been given by Moore & Brusca (2003) . The genus is characterized by and separated from Metacirolana by the presence of connate spines on the inferior margins of the pereopods, pleotelson with sinuate margins with a narrowly rounded apex with two robust setae, pereonite 1 longer than others, antennae 2 short, extended only to the posterior margin of pereonite 1, pereopods 1–7 dactyli with thin accessory setae, pleonite lateral margins covered by the seventh coxal plate which is largest; additional character are the carpus of pereopod 1 with the inferior distal angle with a complex seta and the carpus of pereopod 2 inferior distal angle forms notched lobe. In comparison, Metacirolana lacks the connate spines on the inferior margins of the pereopods, coxal plates 1–7 are sub-equal in length or coxae 6 is the largest and may cover a portion of the pleon. This is the fourth confirmed record of the genus Aphantolana as other earlier records ( Nordenstam 1946 ; Stebbing 1905 ) are of uncertain species identity. Moore & Brusca (2003) compared Aphantolana to Colopisthus Richardson, 1902 commenting that “members of the genus superficially resemble species of Colopisthus … ” with which we agree. Colopisthus is readily distinguished from Aphantolana by the pleon showing only pleonites 4 and 5 in dorsal view and being laterally entirely enclosed by the coxae of pereonite 7. Distribution. The genus is effectively known from all tropical oceans—see Table 1 . Moore & Brusca (2003) considered that the genus to be a “cosmotropical taxon”, and this present work and earlier records ( Nordenstam 1946 ; Stebbing 1905 ; as Hansenolana ) support that hypothesis.