Dorphinaxius Sakai and de Saint Laurent, 1989

Poore, Gary C. B. & Collins, David J., 2009, Australian Axiidae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Axiidea), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 66 (2), pp. 221-287 : 253-254

Dorphinaxius Sakai and de Saint Laurent, 1989

Dorphinaxius Sakai and de Saint Laurent, 1989: 33–34 .— Poore,

2004: 175.

Type species. Axiopsis (Paraxiopsis) appendiculis Poore and Griffin, 1979 by original designation.

Diagnosis. Carapace smooth; cervical groove visible laterally over half distance to anterolateral margin. Rostrum triangular, broad, laterally obscurely denticulate, about as long as eyestalks, depressed below level of carapace, continuous with definite lateral carinae; supraocular spines prominent; lateral carina unarmed; submedian carina present, with blunt anterior tooth; median carina a weak ridge, with one blunt tubercle; postcervical carina absent. Abdominal somite 1 pleuron rounded; pleuron 2 broad, anteriorly rounded, ventrally flat, posteriorly rounded; pleura 3–5 posteriorly rounded. Eyestalk cylindrical, articulating; cornea pigmented. Antenna, scaphocerite short, curved. Maxilliped 3 exopod not clearly bent at base of flagellum. Pleurobranchs present above pereopods 2–4; podobranchs and arthrobranchs well developed; epipods present on maxilliped 2 to pereopod 4. Pereopods 1 slightly asymmetrical, with propodus cylindrical; carpus-dactylus upper and lower margins unarmed. Pereopods 3–5 propodi with transverse rows of robust setae; dactyli tapering, with longitudinal row or robust setae. Pleopods 3–5, appendix interna present. Pleopod 1 of male absent. Pleopod 2 of male with appendix masculina. Uropodal exopod with transverse suture. Telson with lateral fixed spines and posterolateral robust setae; apex rounded.

Remarks. Sakai and de Saint Laurent (1989) likened their new genus to Scytoleptus Gerstaecker, 1856 , the two sharing a depressed rostrum, broad foliaceous epipods on pereopods 1–4, and sexually dimorphic pleopods 2–5. The epipods of these two genera seem not different from those of many other axiids and pleopods are scarcely sexually dimorphic (cf. figs. 23g, h). According to their account, Scytoleptus has a shorter cervical groove than Dorphinaxius . They erroneously differentiated the two genera on pleurobranchs above pereopods 2–4 (present in both genera). Here, we rediagnose the genus and confirm the taxonomy of the type and only species.