A new species of Microcharon from marine interstitial waters, Shizuoka, Japan (Isopoda, Lepidocharontidae).

Jeongho Kim,Wonchoel Lee,Ivana Karanovic

doi:10.3897/zookeys.680.12048

Abstract

A new species of Microcharon Karaman, 1934 (Asellota: Lepidocharontidae) is described from Miho-Uchihama beach, Shizuoka, Japan. Microcharon tanakai sp. n. differs from its congeners by having nine simple, five penicillate setae on antennal article 6; one simple distal seta on article 1 of the mandibular palp and having the apical lobe of male pleopod 1 convex, rounded, armed with seven setae. A key to Asian species of the genus and 16S rRNA of the new species are provided.

Highlights

Members of the genus Microcharon Karaman, 1934, are free-living interstitial isopods
Microcharon tanakai sp. n. is identified as a member of the genus Microcharon based on the combination of the following characters: 1) body slender, elongate and all somites subequal in width, 2) pereopods 1-4 inserted anterolaterally, pereopods 5-7 inserted posterolaterally 3) coxal plates indiscernible in dorsal view, 4) pleotelson longer than wide, longer than any pereonite, 5) antennal article three with scale laterally 6) antennal flagellum longer than podomeres 7) maxillipedal palps composed of five articles, which are broader than the endite, 8) pereopod 1 leg-like, 9) uropods with long, broad protopod, both endopod and expod shorter than protopod in all other marine species of Microcharon and exopod inserted subapically (Wilson and Wägele 1994; Albuquerque et al 2014; Galassi et al 2016)
The new species can be clearly distinguished from the three Asian species

Summary

Introduction

Members of the genus Microcharon Karaman, 1934, are free-living interstitial isopods. Following a recent revision (Galassi et al 2016), the genus is currently a member of the family Lepidocharontidae. Only the following three Asian species have been recorded so far: M. halophilus Birstein & Ljovuschkin, 1965; M. kirghisicus Jankowskaya, 1964; and M. raffaellae Pesce, 1979. They are known from Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Iran respectively (Coineau 1994; Boyko et al 2008; Galassi et al 2016).

Materials and methods

Findings

Discussion