Austroarcturus dayi (Kensley, 1977) Poore, 2003

Poore, G. C. B., 2003, Revision of Holidoteidae, an endemic southern African family of Crustacea, and re-appraisal of taxa previously included in its three genera (Isopoda: Valvifera), Journal of Natural History 37, pp. 1805-1846 : 1812

Austroarcturus dayi (Kensley, 1977) comb. nov.

(figure 1B, C)

Microarcturus dayi Kensley, 1977: 246–249 , figures 6, 7; Kensley, 1978b: 28, figure 11c–e; Kensley, 1984: 240–243, figure 13a–f.

Material examined

Five males (one dissected), one ovigerous female, four juveniles, SAM A17802 . One male, NMV J47029 .

Diagnosis

Body with pair of submedial dorsal rows of tubercles dominated by pair of spines on head and pair of large irregular spines (especially in female) on pereonite 3. Pereonites 2 and 3 with lateral triangular wings (much more pronounced in female), discontinuous; pereonite 4 with short rectangular wings in female, obsolete in male; pereonites 6–7 and pleonites with discontinuous wings in female. Pleonite 3 with mid-dorsal spine on dorsal dome. Male to 7.0 mm; female to 7.5 mm.

Remarks

Austroarcturus dayi is the only species with a strong spine on pleonite 3. The female has a prominent pair of submedial dorsal plate-like spines. It occurs off Saldanha Bay, south-eastern South Africa, at 9–18 m depth.