Cuneimelita, Senna, André R. & Serejo, Cristiana S., 2012

Senna, André R. & Serejo, Cristiana S., 2012, A new genus and species of Melitidae (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Hadzioidea) from Brazilian waters, Zootaxa 3433, pp. 60-68 : 61

Genus Cuneimelita gen. nov.

Etymology. Genus name comes from Latin cuneus (“wedge”), referring to the shape of propodus of gnathopods 1 and 2 plus the pre-existing generic name Melita . Gender feminine.

Diagnosis. Rostrum absent, lateral cephalic lobe rounded, anteroventral margin retracted, without notch or fissure. Eyes poorly developed, rounded. Antenna 1 elongate, longer than half body length. Antenna 2 about half length of antenna 1, little setose. Mandible, molar subtriturative, palp 3-articulate, article 3 slender. Lip with inner lobes poorly developed. Maxilla 1, inner plate subtriangular, inner margin without setae, with simple apical setae. Maxilla 2, inner plate, marginal row of setae absent, facial row of setae absent. Coxa 1, anterior margin strongly produced. Gnathopods 1–2 similar in shape, the second a little larger than the first, carpus smaller than propodus, propodus wedge-shaped, subtriangular, anterior margin convex, palm longer than posterior margin, dactyl reaching palmar angle. Pereopods 5–7, basis with posterior margin smooth, posteroventral lobe absent, base of pereopod 7 moderately expanded posteriorly. Pleon and urosome dorsally smooth. Epimeral plate 3, posteroventral angle strongly produced, acute. Uropod 3, inner ramus greatly reduced, outer ramus 1-articulate, apically truncated, nearly twice the length of peduncle. Telson wider than long, rounded lobes.

Type species. Cuneimelita danielle gen. et sp. nov.

Composition. Monotypic.