Sudanonautes ngaoundere, Mvogo Ndongo & Clark & Rintelen & Cumberlidge, 2024

Mvogo Ndongo, Pierre A., Clark, Paul F., Rintelen, Thomas Von & Cumberlidge, Neil, 2024, Validation of four species of Sudanonautes (Decapoda: Potamonautidae), from Cameroon, Central Africa, Zootaxa 5492 (1), pp. 140-144 : 142

Sudanonautes ngaoundere sp. nov.

Sudanonautes ngaoundere Mvogo Ndongo, Clark, von Rintelen & Cumberlidge, 2024: 10 , Figs. 1C, 2C, 3C, 4C, 5K—O,

6G—I. [Unavailable]

Type Material. Holotype: Cameroon, Guinea savanna, near Lake Tison south of Ngaoundéré, Adamaoua Region, Northern Cameroon, adult ♂ ( CW 53.4 , CL 34.6, CH 21.1, FW 13.7 mm), coll. P.A. Mvogo Ndongo, 23 October 2022 ( ZMB Crust. 33300) . Paratype: Guinea savanna, near Lake Mbakaou (fed by the Sanaga River) east of Tibati , Adamaoua Region, Northern Cameroon, adult ♂ ( CW 45.9 , CL 31.6, CH 24.3, FW 12.1 mm) , coll. P.A. Mvogo Ndongo, 23 October 2022 ( ZMB Crust. 33301) .

Description. Carapace ovoid, high, arched ( CH /FW 1.5), wide (CW/FW 3.9), smooth. Front deflexed, anterior margin highly concave medially. Carapace surface smooth, cervical, urogastric, cardiac, branchial grooves all shallow; exorbital tooth large, triangular; intermediate tooth small, pointed; epibranchial tooth obscure. Postfrontal crest distinct yellow colour, incomplete, lateral ends not meeting either epibranchial tooth or carapace lateral margin; carapace lateral margins smooth behind epibranchial teeth; mid-groove on postfrontal crest short, forked. Carapace branchiostegite divided into 3 parts by longitudinal, vertical, sutures; longitudinal suture dividing smooth suborbital, subhepatic regions from pterygostomial region, beginning at respiratory opening, curving backward; vertical suture short, granular, dividing suborbital from subhepatic regions beginning at base of intermediate tooth, then curving down to meet longitudinal suture; pterygostomial region with field of small distinct granules medially, otherwise smooth. S2/3, completely traversing sternum; S3/4 incomplete, reduced to 2 short side notches; anterior thoracic sternum S3, S4 margins thickened, raised. Episternal sulcus S5/E5 distinct, S4/E4, S6/E6, S7/E7 all obscure, smooth.

Proximal superior margin of palp TA with small, rounded accessory lobe ca. ¼ length of TA. Third maxillipeds filling entire buccal cavern except for transversely oval efferent respiratory openings visible at superior lateral corners; exopod with well-developed slender flagellum; ischium with distinct vertical sulcus.

Inferior cheliped merus margins lined by small sharp teeth, inner margin with large distal meral tooth. Cheliped carpus with distal teeth, proximal teeth both pointed, distal larger than proximal. Chelipeds of adult male unequal, major cheliped longer than minor cheliped. Major chela, movable finger (dactylus) with three large proximal teeth, then gap with one large tooth at midpoint and small teeth distally. Minor cheliped with occluding margins of both fingers lined by small teeth. Walking legs (pereiopods P2–5) moderately slender, posterior margins of propodi serrated with small blunt teeth, dactyli tapering, each bearing rows of downward-pointing large sharp spines.

Male pleon plus telson broadly triangular with straight inward-tapering margins.

Male gonopod G1TA in ventral view, proximal half straight with distal half angled outward at 45 degrees, tip not upcurved, G1TA mid-section widened; G1TA long (G1TA length slightly shorter than G1SA length, margins lined by sparce short setae. G2 shorter than G1, reaching only to G1TA-G1SA junction; G2TA extremely short, only one-fifteenth as long as G2SA; G2SA widest at base, then tapering sharply inward, forming long, thin, pointed, upright process supporting short G2TA; rounded collar at G2TA-G2SA junction.

Etymology. The new species is named for Ngaoundéré, Cameroon because both localities are in the vicinity of this town. The species name “ngaoundere ” is a noun in apposition.

Remarks. For detailed figures, photographs, coloration, distribution and more distinguishing characters of S. ngaoundere see Mvogo Ndongo et al. (2024).