Bamberus, Stępień, Anna & Błażewicz-Paszkowycz, Magdalena, 2013

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 : 561-562

Genus Bamberus n. gen.

Diagnosis. Body elongated, seven times as long as wide, integument smooth. Carapace little wider than long and as long as pereonites 1 and 2 together. Pleon about one-quarter of total body length, consisting of five free pleonites and pleotelson; pleotelson with one short apophysis on each side. Antennule biramous, peduncle first article without apophyses. Antennal squama small with three distal setae. Mandibular palp with three articles, article 1 with one seta. Maxillule inner endite grossly reduced with two distal setae; palp with three distal setae. Labium palp with two setae terminally. Cheliped with exopod, in female slender, in male enlarged. Pereopod 1 with exopod. Pereopods 1–3 basis without apophyses. Pleopods biramous; each ramus with six plumose setae. Uropod peduncle with strong apophysis dorsally; endopod as long as quarter of total body length, consisting of about 10 segments; exopod five-segmented.

Type species: Bamberus jinigudirus n.gen. n. sp., by monotypy.

Etymology. The name is given in honour of Dr Roger N. Bamber, our special friend, in recognition of his accomplished contribution to the knowledge of the Tanaidacea .

Gender: masculine

Remarks. The combination of the characters such as the elongate second article of the antenna armed with apophyses on its inner margin and with a small squama, a long third maxilliped-palp article, a first pereopod with an exopodite bearing five setae, and with a stout basis bearing plumose setae, pereopods 2 to 6 more slender (walking type) than the first pereopod and pereopods 3 to 6 with a propodus longer than the carpus, as well as much larger chelipeds in males than in females places Bamberus n. gen. in the family Chondropodinae .

Bamberus in general view resembles three of the seven genera currently included in the Chondropodinae , i.e. Calozodion Gardiner, 1973 , Chondropodus Gutu, 2006 and Hoplomachus Gutu, 2002 . These four genera have a relatively elongated body, five well-developed pleonites with acute epimera, and a few setae often accompanied by a few robust spines on the basis of the first pereopod. Bamberus is most similar to Chondropodus— both of them lack plumose setae on pereopod 6 and have a slender cheliped in females ( Table 2 ). In contrast to Chondropodus the new genus lacks a spine on the first article of the antennule and on the basis of the first pereopod.

The new genus can be immediately distinguished from the other chondropodiins by having a smooth and poorly-developed rostrum, compared with a large, acute and serrated rostrum in Julmarichardia , a well-developed exopod (reduced or absent in Vestigiramus ), by having only two segments in the accessory flagellum of the antennule (five segments in Zaraza ) and by having only a few setae on the mandibular palp (numerous plumose setae in Trichapseudes ).

Bamberus n. gen. has a conspicuous apophysis on the uropod basis, apparently similar to that present in Vicinisyndes Gutu, 2007 and all members of the Whiteleggiidae Gutu, 1972 . A distal apophysis on the basis of the uropod is characteristic for many metapseudids but only in Vicinisyndes , Bamberus and the whiteleggiids is situated dorsally. Vicinisyndes , with only one free pleonite, is a member of the subfamily Synapseudinae Gutu 1972 , while the Whiteleggiidae is represented by three species in two genera which have a heavy and stronglysculptured integument.

Tables

TABLE 2. Comparison of morphological features distinguishing between Bamberus n. gen., Calozodion, Chondropus and Hoplomachus.

character	Calozodion	Chondropodus	Hoplomachus	Bamberus
chela in female	robust (as in male)	slender	moderate strength	slender
rostrum	round	round	pointed	round
antennule peduncle article 1	with spines	1 spine	with spines	no spines
antenna peduncle article 2	long	long	short	long
antenna squama setation	3	3	5	3
mandible palp article 1 setation	4–6	1	1	1
labium palp setae	1	1	3	2
maxillule inner endite setation	3–5	4	4	2
pereopod 2 propodus/carpus length	2–3	2–3	little longer	1–2
pereopod 1 basis dorsal margin	spines	spines	spines	no spines
pereopod 6 plumose setae	present	absent	present	absent