Kanikipa, Bird, 2011

BIRD, GRAHAM J., 2011, Paratanaoidean tanaidaceans (Crustacea: Peracarida) from littoral and shallow sublittoral habitats in New Zealand, with descriptions of three new genera and seven new species, Zootaxa 2891 (1), pp. 1-62 : 47-48

Kanikipa n. gen.

endite with nine terminal spines; palp with two terminal setae. Mandible right incisor tri-cuspate, lacinia mobilis narrow, molars with dentate tip with thin spine. Maxilliped bases fused, cardioid, with long seta; endite not flared, with mesial rounded tooth and seta; palp article-2 with lateral seta and three mesial setae; article-3 with three mesial setae and one lateral seta. Epignath strap-like, with offset terminal seta. Cheliped coxal sclerite massive, unfused ventrally; basis posterior free process small; carpus without shield; palm wider distally than proximally; carpus, propodus and dactylus crenate. Pereopods 1–3 with coxa, basis broad, with a PSS; merus with long sawlike pectinate spine and weaker seta; carpus with two long pectinate spines and one small inferior spine (pereopods 2–3 only); propodus with one inferodistal pectinate spine; dactylus shorter than unguis; unguis distally very thin. Pereopods 4–6 ischium with one long and one short seta; merus with pectinate spines; carpus with three pectinate spines and superior rod-like seta; propodus with two inferior pectinate spines and one smooth superior distal spine (pereopod-6 with three); dactylus ungrooved, this and unguis with sparse inferior pectination. Pleopod peduncle naked; endopod with distomesial seta and gap between lateral setae and peduncle; exopod with gap between proximal and distal lateral setae. Uropod slender, peduncle with mesial spur-like apophysis; exopod 1-segmented, endopod 2-segmented.

Preparatory male: similar to female but antennule thicker, 5-articled.

Type species. Kanikipa portobelloensis n. gen. n.sp, by monotypy.

Gender: female.

Etymology. Combination of Te reo Māori kani [noun], ‘saw’ and kipa [noun], ‘spur’, alluding to the saw-like pereopodal spines and the uropod peduncle.

Remarks. A uropod peduncle process, as opposed to a spur-like endopod (e.g. Araphura , see above) is also seen in Tumidochelia Knight, Larsen & Heard and may be homologous in terms of development but homoplastic phylogenetically. The apparent phylogenetic relationships of Kanikipa n. gen. are confusing but it shares characters, especially pereopod setation, variously with genera such as Leptognathiella Hansen, Mimicaraphura Sieg, 1986 , Akanthophoreus Sieg 1986 , Stenotanais Bird & Holdich , Leptognathia manca G.O. Sars , and Haplocope G.O. Sars. The lack of a cheliped carpal shield and the shape of the labium also suggest an affinity with colletteid genera such as Leptognathiopsis Holdich & Bird and Subulella Holdich & Bird , but if using an earlier classification by Sieg (1986b), Kanikipa might have been regarded as an akanthophoreinid, within the family Anarthruridae Lang, 1971 .