Leptochelia tenuicula Makkaveeva, 1968

Jarquín-González, Jani, García-Madrigal, María Del Socorro & Carrera-Parra, Luis Fernando, 2015, First species of Leptochelia Dana, 1849 (Crustacea: Tanaidacea) from the Eastern Pacific, with an annotated checklist and identification keys for the genus, Zootaxa 3920 (4), pp. 501-533 : 518

Leptochelia tenuicula Makkaveeva, 1968

Figs 7 A, 10A, K; 11B, 12C, 13G

Leptochelia tenuicula Makkaveeva, 1968: 102 , fig. 1 (Type locality: Among Honda Bay and Cape San Antonio, Cuba, in sandy bottom with Thalassia , 4–7 m depth. Holotype with unknown location); Sieg (1983): 476; Gutu (2011a): 34 –40, figs 7–9 (Redescription).

Geographic distribution. Cuba and Lesser Antilles, Caribbean Sea.

Habitat. In sandy bottom with seagrass, 4–7 m depth.

Remarks. L. tenuicula was briefly described and characterized because the uropodal exopod was biarticulated. Gutu (2011a) conducted a detailed redescription of this species; however, he used material collected from the island of Martinique, Lesser Antilles, and described the exopod of uropod with a single article, which contrasts with the original description. Also, he did not make any observations or comments about why the species did not show the double-jointed exopod. Therefore it is likely that the specimens analysed by Gutu (2011a) are a different species to L. tenuicula . A further redescription is necessary, this time based in material collected at the type locality or nearby.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Cheliped: A, Leptochelia tenuicula; B, L. tanykeraia. Uropod: C, L. mirabilis; D, L. vimesi; E, L. longimana; F, L. helenae; G, L. evansi; H, L. bulbus; I, L. billambi; J, L. africana; K, L. daggi; L, L. savignyi. Habitus: M, L. forresti; N, L. mirabilis; O, L. vimesi. All figures modified from original descriptions, except A, from Gutu (2011 a); L, from Bamber (2010); M, from Richardson (1905).