Aphantolana Moore & Brusca, 2003

Anil, Pathan & Jayaraj, K. A., 2020, A new species of Aphantolana Moore & Brusca, 2003 (Crustacea: Isopoda Cirolanidae) from the Andaman Islands, northern Indian Ocean, Zootaxa 4860 (4), pp. 541-552 : 542

Genus Aphantolana Moore & Brusca, 2003

Aphantolana Moore & Brusca 2003:1329–1399 .

Type species. Metacirolana costaricensis Brusca and Iverson, 1985 ; by original designation.

Remarks. A diagnosis has been given by Moore & Brusca (2003). The genus is characterized by and separated from Metacirolana by the presence of connate spines on the inferior margins of the pereopods, pleotelson with sinuate margins with a narrowly rounded apex with two robust setae, pereonite 1 longer than others, antennae 2 short, extended only to the posterior margin of pereonite 1, pereopods 1–7 dactyli with thin accessory setae, pleonite lateral margins covered by the seventh coxal plate which is largest; additional character are the carpus of pereopod 1 with the inferior distal angle with a complex seta and the carpus of pereopod 2 inferior distal angle forms notched lobe. In comparison, Metacirolana lacks the connate spines on the inferior margins of the pereopods, coxal plates 1–7 are sub-equal in length or coxae 6 is the largest and may cover a portion of the pleon. This is the fourth confirmed record of the genus Aphantolana as other earlier records ( Nordenstam 1946; Stebbing 1905) are of uncertain species identity.

Moore & Brusca (2003) compared Aphantolana to Colopisthus Richardson, 1902 commenting that “members of the genus superficially resemble species of Colopisthus … ” with which we agree. Colopisthus is readily distinguished from Aphantolana by the pleon showing only pleonites 4 and 5 in dorsal view and being laterally entirely enclosed by the coxae of pereonite 7.

Distribution. The genus is effectively known from all tropical oceans—see Table 1 . Moore & Brusca (2003) considered that the genus to be a “cosmotropical taxon”, and this present work and earlier records ( Nordenstam 1946; Stebbing 1905; as Hansenolana ) support that hypothesis.