Macrochiridothea mehuinensis Jaramillo, 1977

Poore, Gary C. B., 2009, A new species of Chaetiliidae (Crustacea: Isopoda: Valvifera) from the Río de la Plata estuary, Argentina-Uruguay, and reconsideration of Macrochiridothea and Chiriscus, Zootaxa 2119, pp. 51-65 : 60-61

Macrochiridothea mehuinensis Jaramillo, 1977

Macrochiridothea mehuinensis Jaramillo, 1977: 72 –79, figs 1–3. — Jaramillo, 1982: 183 –184, fig. 6. — Carvacho, 1997: 51 (list).

Material. Holotype: Mehuín (Playa Grande), Valdivia, Chile 39°26'S, 73°13'W, IZUA-IC.1 (female, 14.3 mm).

Paratypes: collected with holotype, IZUA-IC.2–11 (10 males, females, juveniles).

Diagnosis. Total body length of male 14.3 mm; female 15 mm. Dorsal surface of head, pereon and pleotelson smooth. Lateral lobes on head acute. Coxa 6 reaching posteriorly to pleonite 3. Antenna 1 peduncle, article 2 with anterodistal prolongation. Antenna 2 peduncle, article 4, as long as greatest width; article 5, 2.2 times as long as greatest width. Pereopods 2 and 3 dactyli subchelate, half as long as propodus. Pereopod 5 ischium without a prominent hook on upper margin. Pleopod 2, appendix masculina strongly curved, laterally with minute setae.

Distribution. Valdivia to Llanquique, Chile, 39°S–43°S; lower tidal levels on sandy beaches.

Remarks. Macrochiridothea mehuinensis is distinguished from others by the combination of lack of sculpture and strong anterodistal process on the second article of antenna 2. Jaramillo (1982) found the species commonly on sandy beaches over a 450 km range in southern Chile.