Malacanthura Barnard, 1925

Kensley, B. & Schotte, M., 2000, New species and records of anthuridean isopod crustaceans from the Indian Ocean, Journal of Natural History 34, pp. 2057-2121 : 2077

Genus Malacanthura Barnard, 1925

Malacanthura Barnard, 1925: 133 ; Kensley and Schotte, 1989: 43.

Diagnosis. Eyes present. Mandibular palp of three articles. Maxillipedal palp of three articles; endite short or absent. Pereopod 1, propodus subchelate, expanded. Pereopods 4±7, carpus rectangular, with anterior margin subequal to posterior. Pleopod 1, exopod operculiform. Pleonites 1±5 short, fused. Pleotelson with two basal statocysts.

Remarks. Of the nine species of Malacanthura recorded from the Indian Ocean, seven are from South Africa, where they have fairly restricted distributions centered around the southern Cape coast (see Kensley, 1982 for key). Only M. mombasa Kensley, 1980a , has been recorded from the tropical Indian Ocean (see Remarks below).