Mesokalliapseudes Lang, 1956

DRUMM, DAVID T. & HEARD, RICHARD W., 2011, Systematic revision of the family Kalliapseudidae (Crustacea: Tanaidacea), Zootaxa 3142 (1), pp. 1-172 : 123-125

Genus Mesokalliapseudes Lang, 1956

Mesokalliapseudes Lang, 1956c: 216 . Sieg, 1982: 4. Guţu, 1996: 137, 141. Bamber, 1998: 184. Bamber et al., 2003: 52. Drumm, 2003: 1. Guţu, 2006: 141.

Type species. Kalliapseudes crassus Menzies, 1953 .

Diagnosis. (modified according to Gutu, 2006) Accessory flagellum of antennule with three or four articles. Antenna peduncle without double row of plumose setae on last article. Cheliped without exopodite; propodus slen- der and very long, much longer than carpus; fixed finger shorter than dactylus. Pereopod 1 without exopodite. Dactylus of pereopods 2 and 3 with long and thin outer proximal digitiform prolongation having few sensory setae.

Dactylus of pereopods 4 and 5 short and thick with some sensory setae; unguis absent. Pereopod 6 dactylus with single subterminal seta. Pleopod exopodite biarticulate. Pleotelson with two terminal long plumose setae. Male, if present, with cheliped similar to that in female.

Geographical distribution. East Pacific Ocean (west coast of Baja California, Mexico), West Atlantic Ocean ( Bahamas, Brazil, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina), Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea ( Belize, Trinidad and Puerto Rico) ( Figs. 80–82 ).

Species. Mesokalliapseudes bahamensis Sieg, 1982 , M. brasiliensis ( Băcescu, 1986) , M. crassus ( Menzies, 1953) , M. macsweenyi Drumm, 2003 , M. soniadawnae Bamber, 1993 , M. viridis ( Menzies, 1953) , M. thalasispeleus Guţu, 2006 , M. quadriflagellata Drumm and Morales-Núñes, 2010 .

Remarks. The distribution of this genus occurs exclusively in the New World. A character that might prove to be diagnostic for this genus is the serrate spiniform setae on the outer endite of the maxillule. Even though all of the spiniform setae were illustrated as being smooth in M. soniadawnae , M. viridis and M. thalasispeleus (see Bamber, 1993; Sieg, 1982; Guţu, 2006, respectively), examination under high magnification might reveal that they are finely serrate. Unfortunately, we were unable to examine the maxillule of M. viridis . A SEM photograph depicting these serrate setae in M. macsweenyi is given by Drumm (2004, Fig. 5A ) and in Appendix I.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Mesokalliapseudes macsweenyi, SEM of A) chelipeds and B) maxillipeds.

FIGURE 80. Distribution map of species belonging to the genus Mesokalliapseudes.

FIGURE 82. Distribution map of coastal and offshore morphs of Mesokalliapseudes macsweenyi in which material was examined.