Vaunthompsonia, BATE, 1858

Haye, Pilar A., 2007, Systematics of the genera of Bodotriidae (Crustacea: Cumacea), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 151 (1), pp. 1-58 : 33-34

VAUNTHOMPSONIA BATE, 1858

Type species: Vaunthompsonia cristata Bate, 1858

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 laterally compressed anteriorly. Carapace with mid- dorsal ridge or mid-dorsal serration; may have dorsolateral and/or lateral ridges. Pseudorostral lappets may extend beyond frontal lobe and meet in midline, extend towards midline but not meet (or partially meet leaving a suture between them), be widely separated or not extended beyond the frontal lobe. Antennal notch not distinct, as a depression or as a subacute incision. Anterolateral corner bluntly rounded, as subacute or acute tooth. Branchial siphons extend just beyond pseudorostrum or are long, extending much beyond pseudorostrum. Frontal lobe from 1/4 to half of the total carapace length; as wide as long; anteriorly linguiform or somewhat extended; with ocular pigment and with 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 may be uni-, biarticulated or tri-articulated; with second article longer than third; with one or two aesthetascs in distal-most article. Accessory flagellum uni-articulated; may have a brush of setae. Males with antenna 2 reaching only to end of peraeon; with sensory setae on anterior margin of article 4. Antenna 2 in females with two or three articles.

Maxilliped 3 basis arcuate or straight; not projected or projected dorsally over ischium and slightly expanded. Ischium shorter than merus. Merus without dorsal projection, extended dorso-distally over carpus or slightly expanded laterally. Carpus oviform, may be distally widened; equal to or shorter than propodus and dactylus together.

Peraeon: First peraeonite may be well exposed, visible only above lateral midline or not visible. Peraeonite 2 wide or proportional to other peraeonites; may have ventrolateral expansion overriding peraeonite 1 and/ or carapace or peraeonite 1 and/or carapace and peraeonite 3. Peraeonite 3 may have ventrolateral expansion extended forward overriding peraeonite 2, 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 with fully developed exopods on peraeopods 1–3 and males on peraeopods 1–4. Peraeopod 1 with basis arcuate or straight, may have row of setae; carpus longer than, equal to or shorter than propodus; dactylus with or without three terminal setae. Peraeopod 2 generally without ischium (except V. inermis ); dactylus longer than propodus. Peraeopod 4 with ischium.

Pleon: Pleonite 6 longer than wide; longer, as long as or shorter than peduncle of uropod; may have two or many setae on posterior edge of pleonite 6. Whole width of terminal end of pleonite 6 slightly or well extended past the insertion of the uropods; ending in a point or a rounded apex. Alternatively, wide portion of distal end of pleonite 6 extended between bases of uropods; ending in a point, a line or a rounded apex. Anal plates may extend posteriorly beyond distal margin of pleonite 6 and bear setae on posterior margin.

Uropod endopod bi-articulated; proximal article longer than distal one. Uropod exopod with proximal article shorter or longer than distal one. Peduncle of uropods variable in length with respect to rami; endopod longer or shorter than exopod. Males with five pairs of pleopods. Pleopodal endopod with welldeveloped or reduced process.

Species included:

1. V. arabica Calman, 1907a

– V. arabica arabica Calman, 1907a

– V. arabica nana Hale, 1944

2. V. cristata Bate, 1858 ( V. cf. cristata Mühlenhardt- Siegel, 2003; V. cf. cristata Petrescu, 2002, 2003 , 2004). 3. V. dawydoffi Zimmer, 1952

4. V. floridana Bâcescu, 1971

5. V. inermis Zimmer, 1909

6. V. laevifrons Gamô, 1987

7. V. media Zimmer, 1952

8. V. meridionalis Sars, 1887

9. V. natalensis Day, 1975

10. V. pacifica Zimmer, 1943

11. V. serratifrons Gamô, 1964a

12. Vaunthompsonia sp. Belyaev, 1966

13. Vaunthompsonia sp. Day, 1975

14. Vaunthompsonia sp. Mühlenhardt-Siegel, 1996b

Distribution: Generally found in shallow waters (and up to 280 m) in the Mediterranean and Red Seas, Indo-West and North Pacific, North-west tropical Atlantic (Caribbean Sea), Indian and Southern Oceans.