Chilikorchestia, Thacker & Myers & Trivedi & Mitra, 2024

Thacker, Dimple, Myers, Alan A., Trivedi, Jigneshkumar N. & Mitra, Santanu, 2024, On a small collection of amphipods (Crustacea, Amphipoda) from Chilika Lake with the description of three new species and a new genus, Zootaxa 5446 (3), pp. 383-404 : 389-390

Chilikorchestia gen. nov.

Type species. C. chiltoni gen. nov., sp. nov.

Included species. Chilikorchestia gen. nov. includes 1 species: C. chiltoni gen. nov., sp. nov.

Ecological type. Sand-hopper.

Habitat. Sandy substrate with beach wrack.

Etymology. With the type locality name as prefix to the Latin feminine stem Orchestia

Diagnosis.

Male antenna 2 moderately incrassate. Maxilliped palp very broad; article 4 vestigial, button shaped. Gnathopod 1 simplidactylate; carpus and propodus each with well-developed palmate lobe on posterodistal margin. Male gnathopod 2 propodous palm evenly rounded; dactylus distally attenuate. Pereopod 3–7 bicuspidactylate. Pereopod 4 weakly amplidactylate. Pereopod 6 not asexually dimorphic. Uropod 1 endopod with a single row of marginal setae; exopod without marginal setae. Uropod 2 endopod and exopod with marginal setae. Uropod 3 ramus without marginal setae. Telson distally notched, rounded, with 5–6 robust setae on each lobe.

Female gnathopod 1 simple or parachelate, basis anterior margin with 2 setae, posterior margin bare, carpus non-lobate and 1.66 x longer than propodus. Gnathopod 2 mitten-shaped, coxa subquadrate, carpus anterior margin 1.34 x as long as propodus.

Remarks.

Chilikorchestia gen.nov. is very similar to three genera: Morinoia Lowry& Myers,2019 ; Tethorchestia Bousfield, 1984 and Vallorchestia Lowry, 2012 in having antenna 1 short, not extending beyond peduncle article 4 of antenna 2 and slender or moderately incrassate antenna 2. However, Chilikorchestia gen. nov. can be differentiated from these three genera in number of ways which are discussed in the following table.