Family LEPIDOCHARONTIDAE Galassi & Bruce in Galassi, Bruce, Fiasca & Dole-Olivier, 2016

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• Lepidocharontidae Galassi, M.P., Bruce, N.L., Fiasca, B. & Dole-Olivier, M. 2016. A new family Lepidocharontidae with description of Lepidocharon gen. n., from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, and redefinition of the Microparasellidae (Isopoda, Asellota). ZooKeys 594: 11-50 [13].

Introduction

Lepidocharontids include three genera of slender blind isopods from interstitial environments. While two genera are fully marine, the largest genus Microcharon comprises mostly species from fresh or brackish water in wells or caves, often far from the sea. Unlike other interstitial asellotes they have large biramous uropods (Galassi et al., 2016).

Diagnosis

Body flat, slender, up to 10 times as long as wide; head without or with small rostrum; pereonites similar, rectangular, with subparallel margins. Pleon of 1 free pleonite plus pleotelson. Anus not covered by pleopodal operculum. Eyes absent. Antenna flagellum longer than peduncle; antennal scale present. Maxillipedal palp about as wide as endite. Pereopods 2–7 ambulatory, articulating dorsolaterally or laterally; pereopodal 2–7 dactyli with 2 claws. Uropod inserting ventrally, with long peduncle, with exopod articulating anteriorly and separately from endopod.

General References

Galassi, M.P., Bruce, N.L., Fiasca, B. & Dole-Olivier, M. 2016. A new family Lepidocharontidae with description of Lepidocharon gen. n., from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, and redefinition of the Microparasellidae (Isopoda, Asellota). ZooKeys 594: 11-50

History of changes