Atarbolana Bruce & Javed, 1987

Khalaji-Pirbalouty, Valiallah, Naderloo, Reza & Keikhosravi, Alireza, 2015, Atarbolanamakranensis, a new species of Cirolanidae (Crustacea, Isopoda) from Makran, Iranian coast of the Gulf of Oman, ZooKeys 522, pp. 129-140 : 131

Taxon classification Animalia Isopoda Cirolanidae

Genus Atarbolana Bruce & Javed, 1987

Atarbolana Bruce & Javed, 1987: 145; Javed and Yasmeen 1989: 78; Yasmeen 2004: 21.

Type species.

Atarbolana exoconta Bruce & Javed, 1987; by designation and monotypy.

Type locality.

Manora Island, Karachi, Pakistan.

Species included.

Atarbolana setosa Javed and Yasmeen (1989), and Atarbolana dasycolus Yasmeen, 2004.

Diagnosis.

Diagnoses to the genus are to be found in Bruce and Javed (1987) and Javed and Yasmeen (1989).

Remarks.

In addition to the generic diagnosis given by the above authors, pereopod 7 has a flattened merus and carpus with numerous long plumose setae. Female is similar to male but smaller on average. As stated by Bruce and Javed (1987), females differ from males (apart from primary sexual characteristics) by having a shorter and less setose antennal flagellum. Pleotelson elongation is less than that in males and in most cases number of robust setae are less than in those of males. In contrast to the diagnosis given by Bruce and Javed (1987), uropod rami of females are smaller than that of males; they are subequal and extending almost to the level of pleotelson apex or slightly extending beyond. Brood pouch composed of five pairs of oostegites arising on sternites 1-5.

There are several characters that exclude the species of this genus from Cirolana Leach, 1818, and other cirolanid genera. These characters are a cylindrical uropod exopod, an oval uropod endopod, the uropod peduncle with a row of robust setae along the ventral margin, and in having a reduced pleon.

The genera Eurylana Jansen, 1981, and Pseudolana Bruce, 1979, with appendix masculina inserted medially, and short penes, appear to be most similar to Atarbolana . However, Eurylana has no secondary unguis on the dactylus and is readily separated from congers by the morphology of the clypeal region and pleopods. Pseudolana differs in having a linear frontal lamina, five visible pleonites and a wide pleotelson ( Bruce 1986). In addition, Atarbolana has endopods of pleopods 3-5 entirely without marginal setae. Only few genera like Anopsilana Paulian & Deboutteville, 1956 have such character, but with appendix masculine arising basally and absence of penes.