Xenanthura victoriae, Kensley & Schotte, 2000

Kensley, B. & Schotte, M., 2000, New species and records of anthuridean isopod crustaceans from the Indian Ocean, Journal of Natural History 34, pp. 2057-2121 : 2099-2100

Xenanthura victoriae sp. nov.

( Figure 29)

Type material. HOLOTYPE: USNM 253183 , non-ovigerous m 3.2 mm, sta K-SEY-6, Victoria, Mahe Is., Seychelles, in Enteromorpha growing on surface of intertidal mudāt, 30 April 1984 . PARATYPES: USNM 253184 , two non-ovigerous m, 2.5 mm, same data as holotype .

Diagnosis. Non-ovigerous female: Body about 14 times longer than greatest width. Three or four ommatidia per eye. Pleonite 6 slightly longer than preceding segment. Telson basally wider than midlength, lateral margins tapering, posterior margin truncate, bearing two pairs of setae. Antennular ¯agellum of three articles, single aesthetasc on terminal article. Antennal peduncle article 5 having two stout bottle-brush setae distally; ¯agellum of six short articles. Pereopod 1, carpus posterodistally with tooth-like lobe plus rounded fringed lobe; propodal palm bearing low fringed lobes. Pereopod 2, carpus triangular, posterior margin crenulate, distally rounded; propodus expanded, but shorter than in pereopod 1, palm with proximal rounded lobe ¯anked by setae. Pereopod 3, merus with strong posterodistal lobe bearing distal setae; carpus with very short free anterior margin, posterodistally produced into strong lobe bearing distal seta and several setae; propodus semicircular, palm unarmed. Pereopod 7, merus and carpus shorter than wide, with low teeth on posterior margin; propodus bearing two fringed setae distally. Uropodal exopod ovate, with ®ve simple setae distally; endopod about twice length of telson, with notch at midlength of mesial margin bearing four stout circumplumose setae, several simple setae near rounded distal margin.

Remarks. Xenanthura victoriae was found living in shallow runnels on an exposed mudāt, the water of which reached a temperature of 40 ss C and where freshwater seepage was marked by the growth of the green alga Enteromorpha .

Etymology. The mud-āt type locality of this species lies on the edge of the town of Victoria, hence the speci®c name.