Cheloscina Shih & Hendrycks, 1996

Zeidler, Wolfgang, 2012, A review of the hyperiidean amphipod families Mimonectidae and Proscinidae (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Hyperiidea: Scinoidea) 3533, Zootaxa 3533, pp. 1-74 : 55

Genus Cheloscina Shih & Hendrycks, 1996

Cheloscina Shih & Hendrycks, 1996: 596 .

Type species: Cheloscina antennula Shih & Hendrycks, 1996 by monotypy.

Diagnosis. As with the characters of the family, with the following additions. Known only from one immature female specimen. Cuticle relatively thin, translucent. Eyes absent. Antennae 1; peduncle two-articulate; callynophore and first terminal article with enormous aesthetasc near distal corner; callynophore relatively short, sub-equal in length to first peduncular article; terminal three articles relatively long, together 2.6x length callynophore. Mandibles without palp; lacinia mobilis slightly narrower than incisor; most inferior tooth of incisor similar to other teeth and not separated by gap. Maxilliped with well-developed outer lobes. Gnathopods weakly sub-chelate and prehensile. Pereopods with relatively strong, curved dactyls. Uropoda with relatively slender, lanceolate rami.

One species.

Remarks. This genus was established by Shih & Hendrycks (1996), within the family Proscinidae , to accommodate their new species C. antennula which, although described from a unique immature specimen, possessed characters that precluded it from Proscina and Mimoscina , the only two genera in the family at the time.

The genus is here transferred to the family Mimonectidae because the status of the family Proscinidae , and also the genus Proscina , cannot be maintained (see earlier). It is readily distinguished from Mimoscina in lacking pereopods with retractile dactyls and from Mimonectes , Pseudomimonectes , and species previously described as belonging to Proscina , by the unusual structure of the first antennae. Apart from the first antennae, Cheloscina is most similar to Mimonectes .