EPILOBOCERIDAE SMALLEY, 1964

Álvarez, Fernando, Ojeda, Juan Carlos, Souza-Carvalho, Edvanda, Villalobos, José Luis, Magalhães, Célio, Wehrtmann, Ingo S. & Mantelatto, Fernando L., 2020, Revision of the higher taxonomy of Neotropical freshwater crabs of the family Pseudothelphusidae, based on multigene and morphological analyses, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 193, pp. 973-1001 : 986-987

FAMILY EPILOBOCERIDAE SMALLEY, 1964 , NEW RANK lsid: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:FA3C098A-69B5-4F75-A92B-8E84375F9DA2

D i a g n o s i s: C a r a p a c e t r a n s v e r s e l y o v a l, anteroposteriorly evidently convex or flat, with branchial regions inflated. Dorsal surface frequently smooth, regions indistinct. Anterolateral margin often finely serrate or spinulose to unarmed, lateral armature indistinct. Suborbital tooth extended like slender, grooved plate to close orbital hiatus, in contact with superior orbital angle. Third maxilliped with exopod longer than lateral border of ischium, without or with flagellum (only Epilobocera sinuatifrons ). Branchial efferent channel with spine or tooth near aperture (except in Epilobocera wetherbeei Rodríguez & Williams, 1995 ), visible in frontal view; orifice of aperture open. Male gonopod long, moderately slender, without lateral lobes on principal axis; apical portion club-shaped, laterodistally directed, armed with short, stout, curved spines. In mesial and cephalic views marginal suture and marginal plate progressively twisted towards medial axis of sternum, beginning in mesial position,ending on cephalolateral surface of apex. Proximal half of marginal plate visible as intermediate plate between caudal and mesial surfaces, becoming internal through spermatic channel; marginal and lateral margins converging to reach apical cavity; distal half developing on cephalic side of apical cavity as thin plate with distal crest dentate, (‘Ourkamm’: see Pretzmann, 1972; ‘intermediate plate’: see Rodriguez, 1982; Rodríguez & Williams, 1995). As gonopod twists towards medial axis of sternum, distal third of caudal surface expands mesially, forming subapical, wide, rounded mesial lobe, converging distally with crest of apical cavity, armed with 5–10 stout, curved spines; laterocaudal angle projected as narrow plate smooth or with marginal spinules. In lateral view, lateral process (‘Globula’: see Pretzmann, 1972) subapical, formed by swelling from surface with seven or more than ten strong hooked spines. In distal view, apical cavity in transversal position with respect to principal axis, triangular or oblong in shape, closed cephalically by crenulated final portion of marginal plate; distal borders of mesial and lateral surfaces thin or broad, smooth or ornamented with granules or spines, with caudal angles extended into finger-like plates; mesial border (‘Nasus’: see Pretzmann, 1972; ‘caudal process’: see Rodríguez & Williams, 1995) smooth or armed with marginal conical, curved spines; lateral border (‘Hemyciclus’: see Pretzmann, 1972; ‘terminal process’: see Rodríguez & Williams, 1985) more robust, smooth or with scattered granules and triangular spines.

Type genus: Epilobocera Stimpson, 1860 .