Pseudosympodomma, KURIAN, 1954

Haye, Pilar A., 2007, Systematics of the genera of Bodotriidae (Crustacea: Cumacea), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 151 (1), pp. 1-58 : 31-32

PSEUDOSYMPODOMMA KURIAN, 1954

Type species: Pseudosympodomma indicum Kurian, 1954

Body: Carapace shorter than abdomen and similar in length or shorter than peraeon; abdomen longer than carapace and peraeon together.

Cephalothorax: In dorsal view the carapace appears not to be laterally compressed. Carapace with middorsal ridge or mid-dorsal serration and may have anterior transverse ridge. Pseudorostral lappets do not extend beyond the frontal lobe. Antennal notch as a depression or as a subacute incision. Anterolateral corner with subacute tooth. Frontal lobe 1/3 to half of carapace length; anteriorly linguiform; with ocular pigment and eye lenses.

Antenna 1 with basal article of the peduncle arcuate or straight; as long as or shorter than the other two articles together. Main flagellum bi- or tri-articulated; with second and third article approximately same length or with second article longer than third; with two aesthetascs in distal-most article. Accessory flagellum uni- or bi-articulated; may have brush of setae. Males with antenna 2 reaching end of pleon. Antenna 2 in females with three articles.

Maxilliped 3 basis arcuate or straight; extended dorso-distally over ischium beyond the articulation of the ischium and merus. Ischium longer than or as long as merus. Merus expanded laterally. Carpus distally widened or oviform; equal to or shorter than propodus and dactylus together. Propodus may be distally widened; with a brush of setae.

Peraeon: First peraeonite well exposed or visible only above lateral midline. Peraeonite 2 may have ventrolateral expansion not overriding other somites or overriding peraeonite 1 and/or carapace. Peraeonite 3 may have ventrolateral expansion extended backwards overriding peraeonite 4 or forward and backwards overriding peraeonites 2 and 4. Peraeonite 4 with ventrolateral expansion overriding peraeonite 5 or peraeonites 3 and 5.

Females and males with fully developed exopods on peraeopods 1 and 2. Peraeopod 1 with basis arcuate or straight, may have row of setae; with or without setae in a linear arrangement along propodus; carpus shorter than propodus. Peraeopod 2 with ischium; dactylus and propodus approximately same length or dactylus longer than propodus. Peraeopod 4 with ischium.

Pleon: Pleonite 6 longer than wide; as long as or shorter than peduncle of uropod. Wide portion of distal end of pleonite 6 well extended past the insertion of the uropods; ending in a point or in a rounded apex. Anal plates may project posteriorly beyond distal margin of pleonite 6 and may bear setae on posterior margin.

Uropod endopod bi-articulated; two articles approximately same length or proximal article longer than distal one. Uropod exopod with proximal article shorter than distal one. Peduncle of uropods longer than or as long as rami; rami approximately same length or exopod longer than endopod. Males with five pairs of pleopods. Pleopodal endopod with well developed process.

Species included:

1. P. africanum ( Stebbing, 1912)

2. P. carinatum Corbera & Martín, 2002

3. P. hoinicae Petrescu, 1998

4. P. indicum Kurian, 1954

5. Pseudosympodomma sp. Mühlenhardt-Siegel, 1996a

Distribution: Pseudosympodomma africanum is found off the coast of South Africa from 85 to 370 m. Pseudosympodomma hoinicae is found in the West Pacific Ocean (coast of Tanzania) and P. indicum in shallow waters (0–4 m) of the Indo-West Pacific.