Three new species of Apseudomorpha (Crustacea, Tanaidacea) from Jiaozhou Bay, the Yellow Sea, and the South China Sea off coasts of China

Abstract

Three new species of the crustacean order Tanaidacea are described from the coasts of China. Apseudes spinidigitussp. nov. (family Apseudidae), from the South China Sea, can be distinguished from the most similar species, A. nhatrangensis, by the features of the maxilliped endite, cheliped dactylus, pereopod 1 carpus and propodus, and pleopods basal article. Phoxokalliapseudes shandongensissp. nov. (family Kalliapseudidae), from Jiaozhou Bay and the Yellow Sea, can be differentiated from the most similar species, P. gibbus, by the features of the antennule article 1, pereopods 1 and 6 propodi, and uropod basal article. Swireapseudes planafrontissp. nov. (family Parapseudidae), from Jiaozhou Bay, can be clearly separated from its congeners by its rostrum, antennule article 1, and pereopod 4 dactylus. A morphological key and comparison table of genus Apseudes from the South China Sea, as well as all known species of the genera Phoxokalliapseudes and Swireapseudes are provided.