Eoleptestheria Daday, 1913b: 47

Rogers, D. Christopher, 2020, Spinicaudata Catalogus (Crustacea: Branchiopoda)., Zoological Studies 59 (45), pp. 1-44 : 30

Eoleptestheria Daday, 1913b: 47

= Isaura Joly, 1842 (pro partim), nomen praeoccupatum = Estheria Rüppell in Strauss-Durchheim, 1837 (pro partim), nomen praeoccupatum

Diagnosis: Populations composed of males and females; amplexus is venter to venter. Rostrum may be sexually dimorphic. Rostrum subtriangular (usually females) to rounded (usually males). Angle between rostrum and frons 150° to 190°. Occipital notch very shallow and broad, obsolete. Occipital condyle low, rounded, length half or less basal width. Carapace valve length ~1.5–2x valve breadth (umbone to margin). Carapace growth line intervals smooth or ornamented (scarring from algae often mistaken for ornamentation). Carapace typically brown, occasionally black, sometimes with marginal setae. Clasper endopod apically with distoventral scales. Endite IV subcylindrical, bearing a dense, apical field of short spiniform setae or scales. Thoracic segments smooth or with spines or setae, sometimes borne on projections. Eggs attaching to prolonged exopods of thoracopod X and XI or XI and XII. Thoracopod exopods bearing a triangular lamina. Telson posterior margin posteriolateral spine rows confluent dorsally, with confluence not or slightly projecting. Each row has 30+ spines depending on species and gender. Females typically have more and smaller spines than males. Caudal filament originating between at spine row confluence to the fourth spine pair. Caudal filament base flat or borne on low mound. Cercopods arcuate. Cercopod with a dorsomedial longitudinal row of setae or spines on proximal 60–70%. Setae plumose and either long or short. Row terminates with row of 5–10 spines. Eggs smooth.

Comments: The type species is Isaura ticinensis Balsamo-Crivelli, 1859 by monotypy. Daday described this genus in 1913b, but still presented it as new, with an updated description in 1923. Naganawa (2001a b) treated Eoleptestheria as a synonym of Leptestheria but provided no explanation. This genus is in tremendous need of revision, and I suspect that the European and Chinese forms are distinct.

Attributed Species