Claustrathelges, Williams & Boyko, 2016

Williams, Jason D. & Boyko, Christopher B., 2015, Abdominal bopyrid parasites (Crustacea: Isopoda: Bopyridae: Athelginae) of diogenid hermit crabs from the western Pacific, with descriptions of a new genus and four new species, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 64, pp. 33-69 : 43

Claustrathelges n. gen.

Diagnosis. Female: Body longer than broad, pereon not distorted, pleon weakly distorted, head length and width subequal with nearly straight lateral margins, anterior margin weakly convex, posterior margin convex. No oostegites extended over head or produced posteriorly. Pereomeres I– IV anteriorly concave and posteriorly convex, pereomere V with margins nearly straight, pereomeres VI, VII anteriorly convex, posteriorly concave; pereomeres IV broader than other segments. Pereopod I anterior to head, pereopods II, III parallel to head, no large gaps between pereopods IV– VII. Dorsal surface of first oostegites with pattern of ridges. Pleomeres I–V with elongate-ovate biramous pleopods and uniramous lateral plates, all arising from common peduncle. Pleotelson lacking (but see Remarks in description below); pleon of five total segments.

Male: Unknown

Type species. Claustrathelges macdermotti n. sp. by present designation.

Etymology. The genus name is derived from claustrum, a Latin term referring to a prison or cloister, combined with Athelges , a genus of abdominal bopyrids infesting hermit crabs. The name alludes to the parasite being trapped in the stone domicile of the host hermit crab. Gender masculine.

Remarks. Claustrathelges n. gen. is most closely related to Falsanathelges Boyko & Williams, 2003 , but females can be distinguished in that those of Claustrathelges n. gen. have only five pleomeres, all with biramous pleopods and uniramous lateral plates, while those of Falsanathelges have six pleomeres, with the first five bearing biramous pleopods and uniramous lateral plates and the sixth bearing biramous uropods. Additionally, the dorsal surfaces of the first oostegites of female Claustrathelges n. gen. bear a series of distinct ridges, while those of the first oostegites of female Falsanathelges are smooth.