Leviapseudes Sieg, 1983

Gouillieux, Benoit, Labrune, Céline & Esquete, Patricia, 2023, Leviapseudes tethys (Tanaidacea: Apseudidae), a new species from a submarine canyon of the French Mediterranean Sea, with remarks and a diagnosis for the genus, European Journal of Taxonomy 879, pp. 24-37 : 27

Genus Leviapseudes Sieg, 1983

Diagnosis (amended after Larsen 2012)

Female

Rostrum present. Cephalothorax with spiniform processes on branchial chambers. Pereonites with lateral processes. Pereonite 6 longer than wide. Pleonites narrower than pereonite 6. Cheliped carpus as long as or longer than fixed finger. Pereopod 1 merus longer than carpus. Pereopod 4 dactylus/unguis sometimes reduced to a claw.

Male

As female, but pereonite 6 with clearly identifiable genital cone. Antennule after terminal molt with numerous aesthetascs. Pereopod 4 dactylus/unguis, if reduced to a claw, less evident than in female. Pleonites always with lateral epimera, and epimera larger than in female.

Remarks

The most recent diagnosis of Leviapseudes , provided by Larsen (2012), included a bi-articulated pleopod exopod, when present, as a distinguishing character. However, a number of species within the genus present a pleopod endopod with one article, namely: L. aberrans ( Lang, 1968) , L. angelikae , L. demerarae Bacescu, 1984 and L. longissimus Bacescu, 1982 . Therefore, we amend the diagnosis deleting this character. The presence of a rostrum (absent in Fageapseudes Bacescu & Gutu, 1971 ), as well as the presence of spiniform processes on the branchial chambers and presence of lateral processes on the pereonites (verified for all species of Leviapseudes ) have been added.