New species and records of Flabellifera from the Indian Ocean (Crustacea: Peracarida: Isopoda)
Author
Schotte, Marilyn
Author
Kensley, Brian
text
Journal of Natural History
2005
2005-09-30
39
16
1211
1282
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222930400005757
journal article
10.1080/00222930400005757
1464-5262
5214349
Heterodina
,
gen. nov.
Type
species.
Heterodina mccaini
sp. nov.
, by present designation.
Additional species.
Cassidinidea mosaica
(
Kensley and Schotte, 1987
)
.
Diagnosis
Male
.
Body dorsoventrally somewhat compressed, length more or less twice maximum width; with membrana cingulata; integument smooth or finely tuberculate; margins with fringe of setae. Cephalon embedded in pereonite 1; eyes dorsal. Epistome visible in dorsal view. Coxal extension on ventrum of pereonite 1 absent; pleonal tergite absent. Exopod of uropod very small, set into margin of endopod. Pleon with free lateral margins. Pleotelson triangular, apex extending slightly beyond uropod.
Pleopod 1 with endopod reduced, about half length and half width of exopod. Pleopod 2, appendix masculina short and broad. Exopod of pleopod 3 without suture; both rami of pleopods 4 and 5 lamellar or with very weak folds. Penes long, tapering and basally fused.
Female.
Similar to male except in genitalia. Mouthparts not metamorphosed. Marsupium formed by two opposing pockets opening at sternite 4.
Remarks
This genus exhibits a unique mix of characters which may be found singly in other ‘‘subfamily’’ groups. It differs from
Cassidinidea
, which it most resembles at first glance, by having the cephalon set into the first pereonite instead of having expanded lateral margins; the penes, instead of being entirely fused, are basally fused; and the appendix masculina, instead of being long and acute, is short and broad. These characters were mentioned by
Bruce (1994b)
, who therein stated the need for a new genus to accommodate
C. mosaica
Kensley and Schotte, 1987
, which is herein transferred to the new genus. The morphology of the cephalon of the new genus is shared with the
Leptosphaeroma
group of Cassidininae (
Bruce, 1994b
), which possess in contrast short, unfused penes and expanded antennular peduncles. These latter two traits are also common to those species in the
Cassidina
group as defined by
Bruce (1994b)
, in which however the cephalon is not set into pereonite 1. For the same reason the new genus does not fall within Bruce’s
Cassidinidea
group and thus remains unallied within the ‘‘subfamily’’ Cassidininae. It may indeed signify a fourth such grouping. The structure of the brood pouch, however, is identical to that of
Cassidinidea
, i.e. formed by two opposing pockets and different from those in
Leptosphaeroma
and
Cassidina
as described by Harrison (1984).
Distribution
Species of the genus are known at present from
Belize
and the Persian Gulf.
Etymology
The generic name is derived from the Greek ‘‘hetero-’’ (different or other), plus the
suffixdina
, indicating the subfamilial affinity.