Audacallichirus, Poore & Dworschak & Robles & Mantelatto & Felder, 2019

Poore, Gary C. B., Dworschak, Peter C., Robles, Rafael, Mantelatto, Fernando L. & Felder, Darryl L., 2019, A new classification of Callianassidae and related families (Crustacea: Decapoda: Axiidea) derived from a molecular phylogeny with morphological support, Memoirs of Museum Victoria (Mem. Mus. Vic.) 78, pp. 73-146 : 107

Audacallichirus gen. nov.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F54AD76A-8172-

4D0F-ADCB-2174D5A3FC6B

Type species. Callianassa audax De Man, 1911 , by present designation.

Diagnosis. Anterior branchiostegal lobe sclerotised, well produced anteriorly beyond junction with oblique branchiostegal ridge with which it articulates by means of a virtual condyle. Rostrum obsolete or obtusely triangular, flat, not reaching cornea. Pleomere 1 tergite undivided or with weak transverse ridge. Maxilliped 3 ischium and merus narrow, more than twice as long as wide at their articulation; propodus about as wide as long, free distal margin transverse or nearly so. Male major cheliped merus lower margin convex or blade like, especially proximally, with small denticles. Male minor cheliped much narrower than major, carpus longer than palm, fingers shorter than palm. Pereopod 3 propodus subpentagonal, with strong broadly rounded proximal lobe on lower margin, lower margin straight-concave. Pereopod 4 subchelate. Male pleopod 1 consisting of 2 articles, article 2 distally expanded, with shallow apical notch between 2 rounded setose distal lobes. Male pleopod 2 appendix interna absent or reduced to obsolete distomesial lobe. Pleopods 3–5 appendices internae barely emerging from endopod margin. Uropodal endopod with convex anterior margin, acute-rounded apex, straight-slightly curved posterior margin, longer than wide. Telson convex-sided, widest near midpoint, posterior margin trilobed, excavate each side of medial lobe.

Etymology. An alliteration of the name of the type species and Callichirus , type genus of the family.

Remarks. Audacallichirus audax differs from members of Neocallichirus , the genus in which it was placed by Sakai (1999a, 2011), in having a telson with strongly convex lateral margins, uropodal endopod tapering, the propodus of pereopod 3 usually with a strong proximal lobe on the lower margin, and the male pleopod 1 with a broad second article with an wide apical notch ( Ngoc-Ho, 2014; Rao and Kartha, 1967; Tirmizi, 1967). The molecular analysis of Robles et al. (in press) found the species similar to Neocallichirus mirim , a species sometimes included in Sergio . The two species share a similar male pleopod 1, uropodal endopod, telson and cheliped, but the propodus of pereopod 3 is less expanded in N. mirim .