Bunburia, Jozwiak, Piotr & Jakiel, Aleksandra, 2012

Jozwiak, Piotr & Jakiel, Aleksandra, 2012, A new genus and new species of Agathotanaidae (Crustacea, Tanaidacea) from West Australia, ZooKeys 243, pp. 15-26 : 16-17

Bunburia gen. n.

Diagnosis.

Pleon with five free pleonites; antennulae 4-articled, with first article covered by numerous minute setae; antenna 6-articled, article 3 with dense setation; mandibles molar reduced; labium without outer or medial, setose process; maxillipedal bases unfused distally, endites unfused; epignath elongated and naked; cheliped sclerites unfused ventromedially, carpus stout (1.4 times as long as wide), chela with keel; pereopods with coxa; P1 propodus with elongate ventral seta, P1-P3 merus with long serrated seta, P4-P6 propodus with two long, serrated setae ventrodistally and three short setae dorsodistally, P5 and P6 with propodus shorter than carpus, dactylus/unguis of these pereopods setulated ventrally; ischium of all pereopods with only one seta; pleopods absent in female and well developed in male; uropod short, not projecting beyond pleotelson, with basis terminated with small projection, endopod short, one-articled.

Type species.

Bunburia prima sp. n. - by monotypy.

Etymology.

The name refers to Bunbury, a port city near the type locality of Bunburia prima sp. n.

Remarks.

At first glance Bunburia gen. n., with its short uropods that not protrude the pleotelson, resembles the members of Paragathotanais . The new genus can be distinguish however from Paragathotanais by presence of dense setationon the proximal article of the antennulae and the fourth article of the antennae and by unusual chetotaxy of propodus of last three pereopods, which consists of three short setae dorsodistally and two long setae ventrodistally. The setation of propodus P4-P6 is variable in members of Paragathotanais . For example Paragathotanais abyssorum Larsen, 2007, Paragathotanais insolitus Guerrero-Kommritz, 2003 and Paragathotanais ipy Jóźwiak i Błażewicz-Paszkowycz, 2011 have three long, distal setae, while five other species: Paragathotanais gracilis Bird and Holdich, 1988, Paragathotanais nanus Bird and Holdich, 1988, Paragathotanais robustus Bird and Holdich, 1988, Paragathotanais typicus Lang, 1971 and Paragathotanais vikingus Bird, 2010 have three long setae in propodus of pereopods 4 and 5, but four setae in pereopod 6. Another species - Paragathotanais macrocephalus Kudinova-Pasternak, 1986 lack of setae on propodus of pereopod 4, but it has three setae in pereopod 6. In Paragathotanais medius Larsen, 2002 there are four long, distal setae at propodus of P4-P6. Beside the pereopods setation Bunburia can be separated from Paragathotanais by lack of medial process on the labium and bases of maxilliped unfused distally.

Larsen (2007) has pointed out that size of uropods and theirs position on the pleotelson distinguish Paragathotanais from Paranarthrura . Bunburia gen. n., with uropods similar to those observed in Paragathotanais , can be distinguished from Paranarthrura by short uropods, that are not reaching over pleotelson and are inserted more ventrally. The 4-articled antennula and the 6-articled antenna distinguish Bunburia from Agathotanais , that has 3-articled antennula and antenna reduced to one short article ( Larsen 1999, 2005). An evident is also the difference between females of Bunburia and Metagathotanais , which have all pleonites fused with pleotelson ( Bird and Holdich 1988, Guerrero-Kommritz 2003). Males of Metagathotanais have pleotelson with five distinct pleonites, but they differs from males of Bunburia in propodus P4-P6 chetotaxy. In Metagathotanais insulcatus Bird and Holdich, 1988 propodus of these pereopods bears one short and three long setae distally and in Metagathotanais loerzae Guerrero-Kommritz, 2003 there are only three long setae.

Bunburia represented by only one species is the second taxon of Agathotanaidae known so far from Australia, after Agathotanais spinipoda Larsen, 1999.