Curtipleon Bâcescu, 1976

Stępień, Anna & Błażewicz-Paszkowycz, Magdalena, 2013, Four new species and two new genera of Metapseudidae (Crustacea: Tanaidacea: Apseudomorpha) from Australian coral reefs, Zootaxa 3717 (4), pp. 559-592 : 569

Genus Curtipleon Bâcescu, 1976

Diagnosis (amended after Larsen 2002). Body strongly calcified, tapering from anterior to posterior. Cephalothorax large, almost half as long as rest of body, usually with central carina that is bifurcated in front; branchial chambers swollen, wider than anterior part of carapace; six free pereonites with spines or tubercles dorsally, pereonite 4 little longer than others; pereonite 6 half as long as pereonite 5. Pleonites and pleotelson fused. Antennule well developed with a few strong apophyses on inner margin, three distal apophysis especially strong. Antenna small, first two articles with spines. Maxilliped endites very small, but retain setation typical for this part of appendages. Maxillula outer and inner endites with eight and five spines or setae respectively. Cheliped lacking exopodite, with strong apophysis on basis. Pereopods of walking type. Uropods uniramous, endopod with three to five segments. Male similar to female but chelipeds asymmetrical.

Type species: Synapseudes carinatoides Bâcescu, 1976

Species included: C. carinatoides (Bâcescu, 1976) ; C. carinatum (Makkavyeva, 1971) ; C. heterochelatum Larsen, 2002 ; C. loerzae Bamber, 2008 and C. chadi n. sp.

Remarks. The genus Curtipleon was erected by Bâcescu (1976b) based mainly on the fully fused pleon, the absence of pleopods and the reduced uropod; later on Sieg (1983) designated C. carinatoides (Bâcescu, 1976a) as the type species. All of the species come from the tropical Indian Ocean (Andaman Sea, Gulf of Aden, Tanzania) and East Australia. Three of them are associated with coral reefs (Makkavyeva 1971, Larsen 2002, this paper), C. carinatum with sand with rocks (Băcescu 1976b), while C. loerzae was found among sponges, phoronids, bryozoans and algae (Bamber 2008).