Carpias mossambica, Kensley & Schotte, 2002

Kensley, B & Schotte, M, 2002, New species and records of Asellota from the Indian Ocean (Crustacea: Peracarida: Isopoda), Journal of Natural History 36, pp. 1421-1461 : 1425-1426

Carpias mossambica sp. nov.

(gure 4)

Type material. HOLOTYPE: USNM 253359 , 2.5 mm, IIOE sta 401F, south of Beira , Mozambique, 20ss30¾S, 35ss49¾E, 32 m, 4 October 1964 . PARATYPES: USNM 253360 , two 1.5–2.0 mm, seven ovigerous 1.8–2.3 mm, one, same data as holotype .

Diagnosis. Pleon greatest width 1.3 times midlength, margins entire. Pereopod 1 in male, carpus longer than wide, widening distally, with strong triangular posterodistal lobe, palm concave with single peg-like tooth and smaller low lobe close to propodal articulation; propodus about four times longer than wide; dactylus short, one-ninth length of propodus, biunguiculate. Pereopods 2–7 having triunguiculate dactyli. Pleopod 1 in male, rami tapering distally to narrow acute distolateral apex. Uropod longer than median length of pleon, exopod two-thirds length of endopod.

Remarks. Carpias brucei Monod, 1974 (see Pires, 1982: 241, gure 35–41) from the Seychelles most closely resembles C. mossambica in the structure of the male pereopod 1. The carpal teeth in the two species are identical. Carpias brucei , however, possesses two strong teeth on the posterior margin of the propodus not seen in the present species. The rst pleopod of the male is also very similar in both species. The earlier species, however, appears to have a more setose body, and to have more sensory setae on the propodi and carpi of the ambulatory pereopods. Pereopod 1 of C. mossambica shows no variation in the three male specimens available.

Etymology. The speci c name derives from Mozambique, the country closest to the type locality.