Pseudobunakenia, Drumm & Heard, 2022

Drumm, David T. & Heard, Richard W., 2022, A new genus and species ofApseudidae, and a new species of Bunakenia (Crustacea Tanaidacea: Apseudomorpha) from the Northwest Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, Zootaxa 5175 (1), pp. 31-54 : 33-34

Pseudobunakenia n. gen.

Diagnosis. Eye lobes demarcated and with antero-ventral spine; visual elements appear to be absent. Rostrum broad at base, becoming abruptly narrow and acuminate at apex. Antennule with inner margin of peduncular article 1 not denticulate or serrate. Antennule accessory flagellum with 3–?4 articles. Pereonites 2–6 subquadrate, pereonites 3–6 with ventrally directed spine on anterolateral margins. Mandibular palp article 2 longest; article 1 with simple setae, articles 2 and 3 with long simple and short pectinate setae. Labium palp with three distal spiniform setae. Maxillule inner endite with five setulate setae. Cheliped basis with distinctive robust shape, widest midlength with a short and stout spiniform seta on ventral margin. Chela of male with wide gap between fingers lacking teeth on both fixed finger and dactylus. Chela of female with small, but distinct gap between fingers. Cheliped and pereopod 1 with exopodite. Pereopod 1 basis lacking plumose setae; merus lacking dorsodistal spiniform seta. Pereopod 4 dactylus slightly reduced, shorter than propodus. Pereopod 6 merus and carpus with plumose setae on dorsal margin.

Type-species. Pseudobunakenia anablesis n. sp.

Etymology. Pseudo - Greek for ‘false,’ ‘untrue,’ ‘deceitful’ + generic name Bunakenia with which it shows affinities.

Remarks. Pseudobunakenia n. gen. resembles the genus Bunakenia Guţu, 1995 in the shape of the cheliped (gaping male chela and inflated basis) and pereonites; however, Bunakenia lacks anterolateral apophyses on the pereonites, and the females lack a gaping chela. Bunakenia aspalieus Bamber, Bird & Angsupanich, 2003 , Bunakenia kadazan Bamber & Sheader, 2005 , and Bunakenia hamata n. sp. (see below) have apophyses on the posterior corners of some pereonites.

Pseudobunakenia also resembles the genus Apseudopsis Norman, 1899 in the shape of the rostrum (wide at base and narrowing abruptly to an acute tip) and apophyses on some pereonites [except A. latreillii (Milne-Edwards, 1828) and A. gabesi Esquete, 2019 ]. Esquete et al. (2019) discuss the systematic problems with Apseudopsis , as there are inconsistencies in the diagnostic features that are not shared among all the species. A revision of the genus with a full redescription of the type species, A. acutifrons (G.O. Sars, 1882) from the type locality will be required in order to resolve the systematic issues. Table 2 lists some characteristics distinguishing the new genus from related genera.