The first report of two new janiroid isopod species (Asellota, Janiroidea) from the western Indian OceanAuthorKhalaji-Pirbalouty, Valiallah0000-0002-0892-7463Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Science, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, IranAuthorAl-Kandari, Manal Abdulrahman0000-0003-0073-7929Coastal and Marine Research Program, Environment and Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research, Hamad Al-Mubarak Street, Building 900004, Area 1, Raas Salmiya, KuwaittextZooKeys20242024-12-031219233248journal article30585010.3897/zookeys.1219.1308958309a6e9-ba48-4016-8c20-5b5e16c59ae52B55BA1C-2E86-4471-997B-624F508870A7Uromunna alyamaniisp. nov.Figs 5 C
,
6
,
7
,
8Etymology.
The species is named in honour of Dr Faiza Yousef Al-Yamani, a pioneering figure who established the Oceanography Program at the Environment and Life Sciences Research Center at
Kuwait
Institute for Scientific Research (
KISR
) in 1991.
Type material.Holotype
: •
♂
,
0.78 mm
(
ZMH-K-64937
);
KUWAIT
.
Quaruh Island
;
28°49.105'N
,
48°46.553'E
;
10. XI. 2014
;
V. Grintsov
leg.
Paratypes
: •
1 ♀
,
0.88 mm
(
ZMH-K-64938
), same data as the holotype
•
1 ♀
,
0.78 mm
(
ZMH-K-64939
),
Al-Khiran
;
29°38'48.47"N
,
48°23'28.68"E
;
05. I. 2015
;
V. Grintsov
leg.
•
2 ♀♀
, up to
0.75 mm
(
ZMH-K-64940
),
Auha Island
;
29°22.32'N
,
48°26.27'E
;
10. II. 2016
;
V. Grintsov
leg.
•
2 ♀♀
, up to
0.8 mm
,
1 ♂
,
0.725 mm
, 1 slide (
ZMH-K-64941
),
Al-Nuwaiseeb
;
28°34.792'N
,
48°24.078'E
;
07. I. 2015
;
V. Grintsov
leg.
•
1 ♀
,
0.787 mm
, 1 slide (
ZMH-K-64941
),
Failaka Island
;
29°28.049'N
,
48°17.838'E
;
22. XII. 2014
;
V. Grintsov
leg.
Diagnosis.Pleotelson 1.26 times longer than wide, 0.31 times of whole body, and lateral margins each with 2 denticles. Maxillipedal endite with three coupling hooks. Male pleopod 1 distal margin medial lobes convex, each lobe with three setae. Pleopod 2 protopod elongate, with distally rounded apex; endopod stylet extending just beyond apex of protopod, about 0.7 times as long as protopod. Pleopod 4 exopod distal tip with 1 elongate plumose seta.Description.
Male:
Body
(Fig.
6 B
) length
0.78 mm
; about 2.1 times as long as wide.
Uromunna alyamaniisp. nov.A
female habitus
B – I
male holotype (
ZMH-K-64937
)
B
habitus
C
pleotelson
D
antennula
E
antenna
F
mandible
G
maxillula
H
maxilla
I
maxilliped.
Head
(Fig.
6 B
) 0.65 times as long as wide; anterior margin straight; preocular lobes distinct and projecting.
Eyes
present, ommatidia on eye lobe outer margin, with 12 ommatidia.
Pereon
(Fig.
6 B
) dorsal surface smooth;
pereonite 1
narrowest;
pereonite 3
widest and longest; coxae visible on pereonites 2–7, each with 1–2 small setae;
pereonites 5
–
7
turned back; lateral margins rounded;
pereonite 7
longer then pereonite 6, about 1.5 times as long as pereonite 6.
Pleonite 1
small, about 0.4 times as long as wide, without dorsal setae.
Pleotelson
(Figs
6 B
,
5 C
,
6 C
) about 1.26 times longer than wide, pyriform, lateral margins each with 2 small lateral denticles; dorsal surface covered with 16 simple setae.
Uropod
(Fig.
6 C
) cylindrical, endopod bearing 6 lateral and apical setae; exopod minute, with one simple seta.
Antennula
(Fig.
6 D
) peduncular article 1 shorter than article 2; article 2 with 2 simple and 2 small sensory palmate setae sub distally; article 3 about 0.5 length of article 2, with 1 simple seta distally; flagellum with three articles, article 2 longest; article 3 distally with 1 long aesthetasc.
Antenna
(Fig.
6 E
) about 0.8 times as long as body; antennal flagellum shorter than peduncular articles, with 8 articles.
Mandible
(Fig.
6 F
) incisor process and
lacinia mobilis
with 4 cusps; spine row with 4 robust serrate setae. Palp articles 1 and 2 without setae, third article 0.55 times as long as article 2, with 2 serrated setae apically.
Maxillula
(Fig.
6 G
) lateral lobe with 10 robust apical setae; medial lobe with 4 robust serrate setae on distal margin.
Maxilla
(Fig.
6 H
) lateral and mesial lobes each with 4 and 3 pectinate robust apical setae; medial lobe with 8 robust setae along distal margin, some of them serrated.
Maxilliped
(Fig.
6 I
) endite distal margin with 2 fan-shaped setae, 4 serrate setae, and 3 sub marginal serrated setae dorsally; mesial margin with 3 coupling hooks; palp article 1 bearing short seta on distomesial corner; article 2 sub equal length to article 3, with 3 setae medially and 1 seta on distolateral corner; article 3 with 4 setae medially and 1 seta laterally; article 4 subequal in length to article 3, with 2 setae distomedially and 1 seta laterally; article 5 with 4 setae distally.
Pereopod 1
(Fig.
7 A
) shorter than
pereopods 2
–
7
; basis 2.6 times as long as greatest width, superior margin with 1 and inferior margin with 2 small setae; ischium about 0.7 times as long as basis, superior margin with 2 and inferior margin with 1 small setae; merus longer than carpus, 0.75 times as long as ischium, superior margin with 2 and inferior margin with 1 robust setae distally; carpus with 4 robust bifid setae on inferodistal corner, inferior margin with 1 marginal and 4 submarginal long simple setae, superior margin with 1 long simple seta medially; propodus 1.75 times as long as carpus, inferior margin fringed with fine setae, bearing 2 robust submarginal setae, superior margin with 1 long simple seta medially and 2 simple setae distally; dactylus with 2 subapical simple setae, a long unguis, and a long accessory claw.
Uromunna alyamaniisp. nov.
male holotype (
ZMH-K-64937
)
A
pereopod 1
B
pereopod 2
C
pereopod 4
D
pereopod 5
E
pereopod 7.
Pereopod 2
(Fig.
7 B
) basis about 3.1 times as long as greatest width; ischium about 0.7 times as long as basis, with 3 long setae on inferior margin and 1 long seta on superior margin; merus about 0.45 times as long as carpus, inferior margin with 2 and superior margin with 4 simple setae; carpus about 0.9 times as long as propodus, inferior margin with 3 robust setae, superior margin with 1 seta medially and 1 simple and 1 plumose setae distally; propodus inferior margin with 2 robust bifid setae, superior margin with 5 long simple setae; dactylus with a narrow accessory claw, unguis longer than dactylus.
Pereopod 4
(Fig.
7 C
) similar to
pereopod 5
(Fig.
7 D
), propodus about 1.5 times as long as carpus, with 4 robust bifid setae on inferior margin and 7 long simple setae and 1 sensory palmate seta on superior margin.
Pereopod 7
(Fig.
7 E
) basis about 2.8 times as long as greatest width; ischium about 0.86 times as long as basis, with 3 long setae on inferior margin and 2 long setae on superior margin; merus about 0.46 times as long as carpus; carpus with 4 robust setae on inferior margin and 5 robust setae on superior margin; propodus about 1.5 times as long as carpus, inferior margin with 6 robust bifid setae, superior margin with 8 long simple setae and 1 sensory palmate seta; unguis 1.24 times as long as dactylus.
Pleopod 1
(Fig.
8 A
) consists of two coalescent halves, each half 4.5 times longer than maximum width; proximal part enlarged and tapering distally, distal margin narrowly rounded, each lobe with three setae distally.
Uromunna alyamaniisp. nov.
male holotype (
ZMH-K-64937
)
A
pleopods 1
B
pleopod 2
C
pleopod 3
D
pleopod 4
E
penial processes
F
female operculum.
Pleopod 2
(Fig.
8 B
) protopod elongate, with distally rounded apex, about 2.2 times longer than wide, with 3–4 subapical setae; endopodal stylet, elongate, medially swollen but becoming narrower until distal tip, without ornamentation, extending just beyond apex of protopod, endopod stylet length about 0.7 protopod lengths.
Pleopod 3
(Fig.
8 C
) protopod as long as width; endopod 1.8 times longer than wide, with three plumose setae apically; exopod with two articles, proximal article 2.4 longer than wide, lateral margin fringed with fine setae, distal article 1.6 times longer than wide, with 1 simple seta distally.
Pleopod 4
(Fig.
8 D
) exopod with 2 articles, article 1 lateral margin fringed with dense fine setae, article 2 lateral margin with a few fine setae; with 1 elongate plumose seta distally.
Penes
(Fig.
8 E
) fused along basal part, well separated at distal part, tapering to rounded apices.
Female
(Figs
5 C
,
6 A
) body about 1.9 times longer than wide; widest at pereonite 3. Largest female length
0.74 mm
. Female operculum (Fig.
8 A
) length 1.25 width, with one pair of subterminal elongate setae.
Remarks.Uromunna alyamaniisp. nov.
shares similarities with
U. naherbaEsquete, Wilson & Troncoso, 2014
from NW Iberian Peninsula,
Spain
, and
U. jejuensis
Kim, Lee & Karanovic, 2023
from the Mun Island, Sea of
Japan
. These similarities include the appearance of mouthparts, pereopods, and pleopods, especially a round distal apex of male pleopod 1 with three pairs of apical setae, the presence of denticles on the pleotelsonic lateral margins, and a female operculum with a terminal pair of setae. However, the present species also have distinct differences, such as a pleotelson with 2 lateral margin denticles on each side, a feature not found in the latter species.
The new species differs from
U. sheltoni
(Kensley, 1977)
from
South Africa
, which has the distally concave pleopod 1, with 4 short apical setae (vs. distally rounded, with 3 short setae in the present species), and the shorter endopodal stylet of pleopod 2, which does not reach beyond the apex of the ramus.