Cassidinidea Hansen, 1905

Schotte, Marilyn & Kensley, Brian, 2005, New species and records of Flabellifera from the Indian Ocean (Crustacea: Peracarida: Isopoda), Journal of Natural History 39 (16), pp. 1211-1282 : 1240-1241

Genus Cassidinidea Hansen, 1905

Restricted synonymy. Cassidinidea Hansen 1905, p 113 ; Kensley and Schotte 1989, p 207; Bruce 1994b, p 1082, 1150.

Diagnosis

Adult male. Body about twice as long as greatest width, widest at pereonite 5; without membrana cingulata ; surface smooth or finely granular, dorsum often with nodules; margins with fringe of fine setae. Cephalon lacking rostral point, lateral margins expanded; eyes dorsal, rounded; pereonite 1 longer than pereonite 2; pereonites 2–4 progressively increasing in length, 4–7 subequal in length. Pleonite 1 indicated by two anterolateral sutures. Pleotelson anterolateral margins not reaching lateral margin of pleon or uropodal peduncle; posterior margin without groove or exit channel.

Antennule peduncle dorsoventrally compressed, articles 1 and 2 not markedly flattened or expanded; article 3 longer than article 2; flagellum slightly more than twice as long as peduncle article 3. Antenna peduncle about one-half length of article 2; articles 3–5 progressively increasing in length; flagellum with four to seven articles, shorter than peduncle. Epistome prominent in dorsal view, widely separating antennal bases; flat in ventral view with mesial constriction.

Mandibles with three- or four-dentate incisor, spine row of four or five serrate spine-like setae; lacinia mobilis on left mandible; molar process with serrate teeth, some indistinct ridges. Maxilla 1 with large, weakly serrate spines plus one serrate and one short spine-like seta on lateral lobe; mesial lobe with four serrate spines. Maxilla 2 lateral and middle lobes with prominent flat nodular spines, medial lobe narrow; endite subtruncate with simple and plumose spine-like setae along distal margin.

Pereopod 1 dactylus short with prominent, conical secondary unguis. Pereopods 2–7 subsimilar; pereopod 7 merus distal margin with trifid spine-like setae, posterior margins of merus, carpus and propodus with scale setules.

Penes fused to form single process, vasa differentia fused along entire length. Appendix masculina slender, elongate, apically acute, borne on prominent posteriorly directed proximomedial lobe on endopod. Pleopod 3 exopod with weak suture. Pleopods 4 and 5, both rami lacking transverse folds.

Ovigerous female. Mouthparts not metamorphosed. Brood pouch formed by two opposing ventral pockets which overlap at sternite 4.