Octomana, Hendrycks & Conlan, 2003

Hendrycks, EA & Conlan, KE, 2003, New and unusual abyssal gammaridean Amphipoda from the north-east Pacific, Journal of Natural History 37, pp. 2303-2368 : 2345

Octomana gen. nov.

Diagnosis

Eye absent; rostrum slender; peduncular article 1 large with a strong, acute, anterodistal process reaching midpoint of peduncular article 3; upper lip very weakly incised, lobes asymmetric; mandible, incisors broad, symmetric, smooth, palp strong, three-articulate, article 2 strongly curved; gnathopods 1–2 and peraeopods 3–4 strongly setose, stout, subsimilar, carpus and propodus expanded, propodus ovoid, laterally compressed, strongly subchelate and raptorial, posterior margin of dactyls denticulate; peraeopods 3–4, merus strongly expanded; peraeopod 6 longer than peraeopod 5 or 7; urosomite 2 with a dorsal tooth (male); uropod 3, rami elongate, outer ramus two-articulate; telson long, lobes slender, cleft nearly to base.

Type species Octomana hadromischa sp. nov. by monotypy.

Etymology

The genus name is from the Latin octo (eight) and manus (hand) referring to the similar, subchelate form of the propodus of the anterior eight legs (gnathopods 1–2 and peraeopods 3–4).

Remarks

E. L. Bousfield first brought this highly unusual amphipod to our attention, as he had a male specimen in poor condition. The strongly produced, peduncular article 1 of antenna 1 and the highly distinctive gnathopods and peraeopods 3 and 4 that are similar in form to each other, are unique in the Pardaliscidae .