Eugerda svavarssoni, George, 2001

George, Robert Y., 2001, Desmosomatidae and Nannoniscidae (Crustacea, Isopoda, Asellota) from bathyal and abyssal depths oOE North Carolina and their evolution, Journal of Natural History 35 (12), pp. 1831-1859 : 1840

Eugerda svavarssoni n. sp.

(®gure 4E, F)

Material examined. Holotype female, length 3.0 mm, width 0.55 mm. USNM Cat. No. 1387333.

Type locality. Carolina slope at 620 m. Eastward Sta. G-29 (4931).

Etymology. This species is named in honour of the isopodologist Dr JoÈrundur Svavarsson of the Institute of Biology, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.

Diagnosis of the female. Body six times longer than the tergal width of the third pereonite. First pereonite shorter than the second pereonite, about as long as the fourth pereonite. Third pereonite more than twice the length of the fourth pereonite. Fifth and sixth pereonites subequal, long and cylindrical in shape, each longer than the seventh pereonite. Pleotelson elliptical in shape. Coxal plates of the ®rst pereopod not dorsally visible and that of the second, third and fourth pereopods rounded and not well developed.

Description. Cephalon as long as the ®rst and second pereonites combined. Frontal margin of cephalon somewhat truncated. Antennula composed of six articles, basal peduncular article broad, twice as wide as the second article and with a long distal seta. Flagellum of four articles, terminal article with long apical setae.

Remarks. The pereopod morphology is not given since the type specimen was found to lack all the pereopods. This new species resembles both E. setifera Hessler, 1970 and E. pannosa Hessler, 1970 in having the ®fth and sixth pereonites long and cylindrical in shape. However, these two species are distinguished from the new species by the presence of small setae on the body surface. In E. svavarssoni the body surface is smooth and also the coxal plates are poorly developed in this new species (female).