Abstract
Pilbarophreatoicus platyarthricus , a subterranean phreatoicidean isopod from an intermittent stream in the arid Pilbara region of northwestern Western Australia, is described. With subterranean morphofacies, namely slender vermiform body, eyeless, anteroventral lobe on pereonite 1, reduced abdominal epimera, clearly demarcated pleotelson and lacking in pigment, the species is distinguished particularly by details of the pleotelson. Pilbarophreatoicus platyarthricus is a Gondwanan relic surviving in an aquifer in a region with marked surface aridity. Discovery of P. platyarthricus highlights the importance of groundwater as a reservoir of biological diversity.
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