Epicepon, Boyko, 2024

Boyko, Christopher B., 2024, Taxonomic notes and nomenclatural corrections in Crustacea: Isopoda (exclusive of Oniscidea), Zootaxa 5497 (3), pp. 409-425 : 416

Epicepon Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, 1931 (unavailable name) = Epicepon n. gen. [ Bopyridae ]

Remarks: Epicepon was introduced by Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, 1931 to contain two new species: E. japonicum Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, 1931 and E, indicum Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, 1931. No type species was designated, however, and the genus name is unavailable from that work and the type species cannot be selected by subsequent designation (ICZN Articles 13.3, 69.1). Boyko & Williams (2021) selected Epicepon japonicum as the type species but this action did not validate Epicepon Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis as by crediting the genus to Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, there was no explicit intent by Boyko & Williams (2021) ( sensu ICZN Article 16.1) to establish the name as new. As such, the name cannot be credited to Boyko & Williams (2021) and remains unavailable.

In order to make the name available, Epicepon is herein explicitly proposed as a new genus (etymology: epi— from the Greek ἐπί (on top of) + cepon, a commonly used suffix for bopyrid genera, especially in Keponinae ), with E. japonicum Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, 1931 as the type species by present designation; gender masculine. The generic diagnosis is: Pereomeres of female without mid-dorsal projections. Pleomeres 1–5 with strongly elongated lateral plates lacking digitation on margins; five pairs of biramous pleopods, endopods much smaller than exopods; uropods well developed, uniramous. Pereomeres and pleomeres of male distinctly segmented. Pleon lacking midventral tubercles, pleopods as low rounded swellings on pleomeres 1–5; pleotelson with large distolateral lobes, lacking true uropods (after Boyko & Williams, 2021).

There are three species currently placed in the genus (see Boyko & Williams, 2021), although all are new combinations with the newly validated genus name and two are emended to agree with the masculine gender of the genus (see also Table 3 ): Epicepon japonicus (Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, 1931), Epicepon indicus (Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, 1931), and Epicepon belema ( Boyko & Williams, 2021) .