Heterotanoididae

Bird, Graham J., 2012, A new leptochelioid family, Heterotanoididae (Crustacea: Peracarida: Tanaidacea), and a new species of Heterotanoides from New Zealand, Zootaxa 3481, pp. 1-26 : 23-24

Heterotanoididae n.fam.

Implicit (invariant/near-invariant) leptochelioid characters. Labium with two pairs of lobes, typically outer as large as, or larger than, inner. Mandible right incisor with crenulate upper margin and [typically] bifid apex.

Maxilliped bases [typically] unfused, subrectangular, with one or more distal setae [typically long]; endites unfused, relatively small, subrectangular, with lateral seta, mesial setae [typically] absent; palp article-3 with more than four inner setae. Cheliped with triangular coxal sclerite. Pereopod-1 merus with oblique articulation with carpus, carpus with simple setae only. Pereopods 2–3 carpus with simple setae, with or without small spines. Pereopods 4–6 carpus with [typically] three spines and one simple seta; propodus with three superodistal spines (p4–5) or more (p-6); dactylus and unguis together relatively short [claw-like]. Pleopod peduncle [typically] with seta, endopod with seta on inner margin. Uropod endopod [typically] multisegmented, exopod one or two segmented.

Diagnosis. Leptochelioid, cephalothorax with eyes. Otherwise as genus diagnosis for Heterotanoides .

Type genus. Heterotanoides Sieg, 1977 , by monotypy.

Remarks. This is established as a single-genus family although there may be some grounds for establishing a separate taxon for H. meridionalis (see above). New material of H. ornatus and new heterotanoidid species would ideally be sought before testing this proposition.