Anchicubaris Collinge, 1920

Lillemets, B. & Wilson, G., 2002, Armadillidae (Crustacea: Isopoda) from Lord Howe Island: New Taxa and Biogeography, Records of the Australian Museum 54, pp. 71-98 : 74

Anchicubaris Collinge, 1920

Type species. Anchicubaris fongosiensis Collinge, 1920 , by monotypy.

Restricted composition. Anchicubaris fongosiensis Collinge, 1920 ; A. annobonensis Schmalfuss & Ferrara, 1983 ; A. scoriformis Collinge, 1945 .

Diagnosis. Tergites dorsally ornamented; conglobation by folding, retaining flange along sides; epimera almost horizontal; frontal lamina raised well above level of vertex, straight and without medial incision; epimera 1 endolobes rectangular drawn out into small tooth posteroproximally, epimera 2 endolobes tooth-like; pleotelson hour-glass shaped, distal part short, posterior margin straight; uropod protopod with narrow rectangular distal part; exopod present.

Remarks. The composition of Anchicubaris Collinge, 1920 is modified to clarify the affinities of some Lord Howe Island Armadillidae . Lewis (1998b) placed the Lord Howe Island species Anchicubaris howensis Lewis, 1998b and A. demiclavula Lewis, 1998b in this African genus based on similarities in the shape and distribution of the dorsal tubercles to A. annobonensis Schmalfuss & Ferrara, 1983 . The large cephalic lobes of A. annobonensis are similar to those of A. demiclavula but the arrangement of pereon tubercles in A. annobonensis is quite different. Anchicubaris demiclavula has 3 pairs of tubercles on pereonite 1 and two pairs on each of pereonite 2–7. Two new species described below, Stigmops polyvelota n.gen., n.sp. and S. odontotergina n.sp., show striking similarities with A. howensis and A. demiclavula , especially the unique shape and arrangement of the dorsal tubercles and cuticular pits. Our examination of the generic type, A. fongosiensis Collinge, 1920 (figs. 2, 3), demonstrates that these Lord Howe Island taxa do not belong in Anchicubaris . The shape and distribution of tubercles in A. fongosiensis bear no similarity to the Lord Howe Island taxa. Furthermore, A. fongosiensis differs in the following features: the cuticular pits characteristic of the Lord Howe Island taxa are absent, epimera 1 endolobes are rectangular (not narrowly pointed), the uropodal exopod is not visible ventrally and pleopods 3–5 exopods are more narrow and pointed, lacking the tuft of setae present on the distal tip in Stigmops . Therefore A. howensis and A. demiclavula are transferred to Stigmops n.gen. As a result of these observations, Anchicubaris does not occur on Lord Howe Island, thus removing a presumed biogeographic link between Lord Howe Island and Africa.