Chandraniscus chardyi, George, 2004

George, Robert Y., 2004, Deep-sea asellote isopods (Crustacea, Eumalacostraca) of the north-west Atlantic: the family Haploniscidae, Journal of Natural History 38 (3), pp. 337-373 : 347

Chandraniscus chardyi n. sp.

(figure 6)

Diagnosis. Chandraniscus with body broad and ovate. Cephalon with frontal margin concave and lacking any median projection. Lateral sutures between the anterior pereonites more pronounced from pereonites 1–5. Pleotelson with apex truncated and posterolateral projection not extending beyond the apex. Antenna 1 with peduncle of two articles, second article long, and a flagellum of four articles. Flagellum of antenna 2 composed of nine articles. Uropod uniramous, tip reaching to the tip of the posterolateral angle of pleotelson.

Material examined. Holotype: female, length 2.0 mm, maximum width 1.1 mm. Paratype: female, length 1.8 mm, maximum width 0.9 mm. USNM Cat No. 138678–138679 .

Type locality. R / V Eastward Sta. 5809, site Beta over the Carolina lower slope .

Etymology. This new species is named in honour of the French isopodologist Dr Pierre Chardy who graciously invited me to join him on the deep-sea research expedition aboard R/V Jean Charcot for studying deep-sea fauna over the mid- Atlantic ridge near the Vema fracture zone. Dr Chardy is also author of several species of deep-sea haploniscid isopods from the north-east Atlantic.

Description. Body very broad, width about half, or more than half, the maximum length. Lateral sutures between anterior pereonites prominent, with small setae on the anterior and posterior margin of the lateral lobes of pereonite 4. Pereonite 4 as long as pereonites 5 and 6 combined. Pereonite 7 significantly longer than the short pereonite 6. Pleotelson broader than its length, with apex truncated.

Antenna 1 composed of six articles, second article the longest, and terminal article with two long aesthetascs. Antenna 2 with basal article partly concealed by the cephalon, first three articles bulbous, article 4 slightly narrower. Mandible with molar process strong and truncated, a row of five movable middle spines with two well-developed and serrated, incisors prominent. Mandibular palp with three articles, middle article twice as long as basal article, terminal article provided with six or seven spines on the inner margin.

Remarks. The broad body of this new species, half as wide as long, makes it distinct from most species assigned to this genus. The body shape is more or less similar to species of the haploniscid genus Antennuloniscus . Richardson (1908) described the species Haploniscus excisus also from the north-west Atlantic and in this study this species is now assgined to Chandraniscus gen. nov. because of any lack of fusion between the pereonites. Chandraniscus excisus Richardson, 1908 resembles this new species in its broad body shape, and in the cephalon lacking a median projection. Both species also have a similar broader pleotelson configuration. Nevertheless, these two species are distinguished in the following features: flagellum of antenna 1 is composed of four articles in the new species whereas that of C. excisus has five articles. The posterior margin is truncated in C. chardyi sp. nov. but rounded in C. excisus . Furthermore, the prominent lateral sutures between anterior pereonites in this species make it clearly distinct from C. excisus .