Mixarcturus Brandt, 1990

Poore, G. C. B., 2003, Revision of Holidoteidae, an endemic southern African family of Crustacea, and re-appraisal of taxa previously included in its three genera (Isopoda: Valvifera), Journal of Natural History 37, pp. 1805-1846 : 1838

Mixarcturus Brandt, 1990

Mixarcturus Brandt, 1990: 97 ; Wägele, 1991: 170–172.

Remarks

Mixarcturus shares with Chaetarcturus Brandt, 1990 long setae on the dactylus of pereopods 2–4 and the two genera are the only antarcturids to have this. Chaetarcturus is not the only one as stated by Poore (1998). Brandt distinguished the two on the basis of dorsal spination (weak in Mixarcturus , stronger in Chaetarcturus ) and an antennal 2 flagellum of never more than four articles in Mixarcturus . Neither difference is real (see for example species described or redescribed by Poore (1998) and new characters are necessary to differentiate the two genera. The presence of a short stout unguis on pereopods 2–4 in Mixarcturus (setiform in Chaetarcturus ), broadened apex with distolateral opening to groove on the male pleopod 2 endopod (widest at mid-length and groove opening on a subdistolateral conical apex in Chaetarcturus ), appendix masculina longer than pleopod 2 endopod (shorter in Chaetarcturus ), and uropodal exopod absent (present in Chaetarcturus ) are more reliable characters (see figures 14, 15 and Poore (1998) for illustrations).

The only three species are those given below. ‘ Microarcturus ’ abnormis is the type species.