PSEUDOTHELPHUSIDAE ORTMANN, 1893

Álvarez, Fernando, Ojeda, Juan Carlos, Souza-Carvalho, Edvanda, Villalobos, José Luis, Magalhães, Célio, Wehrtmann, Ingo S. & Mantelatto, Fernando L., 2020, Revision of the higher taxonomy of Neotropical freshwater crabs of the family Pseudothelphusidae, based on multigene and morphological analyses, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 193, pp. 973-1001 : 988

FAMILY PSEUDOTHELPHUSIDAE ORTMANN, 1893

Diagnosis: Carapace wider than long; dorsal surface slightly convex, regions faintly to moderately well marked; anterolateral margin smooth, with small tubercles, or with acute spines. Suborbital tooth low, like high keel or grooved plate, but never closing orbital hiatus, in contact with superior orbital angle. Merus of third maxilliped as wide as long or wider than long, shorter than ischium, lateral margin straight, or slightly curved; carpus articulated to anterointernal angle of merus; exopod shorter or almost as long as, rarely little longer than lateral border of ischium. Opening of branchial efferent channel without tooth; orifice open or complete. Male gonopod straight, curved or with torsion towards medial axis of body; apical elements variable in number, shape, position and size. Main axis can have one or two lateral lobes of variable size and form. Marginal plate as simple rectangular sheet extending longitudinally over caudal and mesial surfaces of gonopod, ending subdistally and independent of apical cavity or ending distally forming caudal border of apical cavity; or as rectangular sheet ending distally in expanded plate, directed cephalically; or fused with mesial surface to form caudomarginal projection, which ends in simple lobe or several lobes and teeth. Proximal third of marginal suture with a fringe of long setae. Mesial process formed by apical expansion of mesial surface, showing a wide variety of shapes and ornamentations. Lateral process originating on apical portion of lateral surface may be oriented in different directions, usually varying from basic triangular shape. Apical cavity usually elongated along caudocephalic axis, or, less commonly, transversal or parallel (vertical) relative to principal axis of gonopod; field of spines subdistally or distally located, with terminal pore setae, interior walls of cavity spinulated; aperture of spermatic channel not in fixed position (central, caudal, mesocaudal or cephalic).

Type genus: Pseudothelphusa De Saussure, 1857 .

Subfamilies included: Strengerianinae Rodriguez, 1982 ; Hypolobocerinae Pretzmann, 1971 ; Guinotiinae subfam. nov.; Kingsleyinae Bott, 1970 ; Ptychophallinae subfam. nov.; Potamocarcininae Ortmann, 1897 ; Raddausinae subfam. nov.; and Pseudothelphusinae Ortmann, 1893 .

Remark: This family corresponds to all the continental pseudothelphusid species, including the species from the Lesser Antilles. The wide array of gonopod morphologies is reflected in the number of subfamilies and genera that have been described to organize the observed morphological diversity.