Deep-sea asellote isopods (Crustacea, Eumalacostraca) of the north-west Atlantic: the family Haploniscidae
Author
George, Robert Y.
text
Journal of Natural History
2004
2004-10-10
38
3
337
373
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0022293021000030844
journal article
10.1080/0022293021000030844
1464-5262
5258656
Chauliodoniscus
Lincoln, 1985
Type
species:
Chauliodoniscus tasmanaeus
Lincoln, 1985
.
Diagnosis
. Haloniscidae with pereonites 5–7 free (pleotelson may be fused mid-dorsally with one or two pereonites but lateral margins are separated), one or more of pereonites 2–4 with prolonged anterolateral angles. Cephalon without rostrum. Body subcylindrical and capable of rolling like a ball. Article 3 of antenna 2 with or without long spinous process. Pleotelson with posterior margin truncated or broadly rounded.
Remarks
. The definition of
Chauliodoniscus
is modified to accommodate
C. sandersi
, with emphasis given to the unique features of the extension of the anterolateral angles of one or more of the anterior four pereonites, and the lack of a median cephalic projection. It is interesting to point out that out of the 10 species of this genus, eight are known from the south Atlantic (Lincoln, 1985a) while two species,
C. sandersi
sp. nov.
and the high latitude species
C. armadilloides
(Hansen, 1916)
, are known only from the north Atlantic. Thus far, the genus does not include any species from the Indian Ocean, which is poorly explored for the presence of deep-sea isopods in general. However, the absence of the genus in the Pacific deep sea is remarkable since many haploniscid species are known from the south-east Pacific (Menzies and George, 1962) and from the north-west Pacific (Birstein, 1963).