Muvi schmallenbergi gen. nov., sp. nov. (Crustacea, Tanaidacea) from the southeast Australian coast, with comments on the distribution and habitat preferences of Chondropodinae

Abstract

Based on material collected from the shelf off southeast Australia (offshore of Portland), a new genus and new species, Muvi schmallenbergi gen. nov., sp. nov., of the tanaidacean family Metapseudidae, is described. Muvi is distinguishable from other genera within the subfamily Chondropodinae by having equally long antennular flagella. It also differs from other Chondropodinae by a combination of characters such as eyelobes with a group of visual elements, rostrum with smooth lateral edges, pereonites with lateral processes and pleotelson lacking lateral process, antennule article-1 with a single apophysis, maxillule inner lobe well-developed, labial palp bearing three distal setae, cheliped exopod well-developed and setose, pereopod-1 coxa with distinct apophysis, pleopods in five pairs, and uropod basis without apophysis. The genus Deidamiapseudes Sganga & Roccatagliata, 2016 is moved from Chondropodinae (Metapseudidae) to Apseudoidea incertae sedis. An identification key for the genera within Chondropodinae is given, and their distribution is discussed.

A Paradise for Rare Species: Tanaidacean Fauna of the West African Continental Margin

“…At the same depths (25-50 m), we found representatives of another typically shallow-water tropical family, the Parapseudidae Guţu, 2008. The third apseudomorphan family, the Metapseudidae, were recorded slightly deeper, from 25 to 100 m, also in accordance with previous findings (Ste ¸pień and Blażewicz-Paszkowycz, 2013;Jóźwiak and Błażewicz, 2021). The last family recorded on the coast of Ghana are the Apseudidae and they have a very wide and disjunct bathymetrical range.…”

“…However, a variety of life strategies have been recorded within Tanaidacea. For example, representatives of Metapseudidae Lang, 1970 andTanzanapseudidae Bȃcescu, 1975 inhabit coral reefs or hydroid colonies (Błażewicz-Paszkowycz et al, 2012;Jóźwiak and Błażewicz, 2021), whereas some Kalliapseudidae are associated with seagrasses (Leite, 1995). Some tanaidaceans are also trophically specialized, for example, Kalliapseudinae species are suspension-feeders, filtering food particles from the water column (Drumm and Heard, 2011), where Exspina typica is considered a parasite that digs cavities in the bodies of holothurians (Alvaro et al, 2011).…”

Pseudotanais Sars, 1882 (Crustacea: Tanaidacea) From the SE Australian Slope: A Gap in Our Knowledge

“…Apart from the Pseudotanaidae, in general, the peracarid fauna of Australian coast is very diverse (Poore et al, 1994;Lowry and Stoddard, 2003;Poore and Bruce, 2012). With that background, tanaids are represented by 162 species in 66 genera (Edgar, 1997(Edgar, , 2008(Edgar, , 2012Bamber, 2005Bamber, , 2008Błażewicz-Paszkowycz and Bamber, 2007, 2012Jóźwiak and Błażewicz, 2021). This situation is apparently worse at the shelf break where only nine species from seven genera and Bird andHoldich (1989b) andMcLelland (2007) (for details see Table 2).…”