Capropodocerus, a new genus in Podoceridae (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from Japan, with descriptions of two new species

Abstract

We establish the new podocerid genus Capropodocerus gen. nov. for the two new species Capropodocerus tagamaru gen. et sp. nov. (collected from 775–800 m depth in the Kumano Sea, Japan) and Capropodocerus kamaitachi gen. et sp. nov. (collected from 840–873 m depth off the eastern coast of Miyagi, Japan). Capropodocerus shares elongate pereonites 1–3 with Neoxenodice but differs from the latter in lacking uropod 2 and in having pereonite 3 at least twice as long as pereonite 4. Capropodocerus is also similar to Laetmatophilus and Leipsuropus in having only two pairs of uropods but differs from them in having i) pereonite 1 longer than the head and ii) pereonite 3 at least twice as long as pereonite 4; Capropodocerus has three urosomes and Laetmatophilus has two urosomes. The two species in Capropodocerus differ in i) the length ratio of the antenna 1 peduncle to the flagellum, ii) the shape of the gnathopod 2 palm, iii) the presence or absence of a mid-posterior triangular projection on the gnathopod 2 dactylus, and iv) the length ratio of the basis to the merus of pereopod 3. A key to all genera in Podoceridae is provided.