Michelaxiopsis, Poore & Collins, 2009

Poore, Gary C. B. & Collins, David J., 2009, Australian Axiidae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Axiidea), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 66 (2), pp. 221-287 : 260-261

Michelaxiopsis gen. nov.

Type species. Axiopsis (Axiopsis) australiensis De Man, 1925 , herein designated.

Diagnosis. Carapace and abdomen smooth or covered with numerous stiff setae; cervical groove visible laterally over most of distance to anterolateral margin. Rostrum triangular, broad, laterally denticulate, longer than eyestalks, slightly depressed below level of carapace, continuous with definite lateral carinae; supraocular spines barely differentiated from other spines; lateral carina beaded; submedian carina present, beaded, duplicated as hair-pin shape; median carina toothed and beaded; postcervical carina absent. Abdominal somite 1 pleuron acute; pleuron 2 broad, anteriorly rounded, posteriorly rounded; pleura 3–5 posteriorly rounded. Eyestalk cylindrical, articulating; cornea pigmented. Antenna, scaphocerite long, acute. Maxilliped 3 exopod not clearly bent at base of flagellum. Pleurobranchs present above pereopod 2–4; podobranchs and arthrobranchs well developed; epipods present on maxilliped 2 to pereopod 4. Pereopods 1 asymmetrical (in male), with propodus cylindrical; carpus-dactylus upper margins smooth. Pereopods 3–4 propodi with transverse rows of robust setae; dactyli tapering, with longitudinal row of robust setae. Pleopods 3–5, appendix interna present. Pleopod 1 of male absent. Pleopod 2 of male without appendix masculina. Uropodal exopod with transverse suture. Telson with lateral fixed spines and posterolateral robust setae; apex truncate-rounded.

Etymology. This species is dedicated to the late Michèle de Saint Laurent (1926–2003) who in 1990 alerted the first author to the probability that the type species belonged to a new genus.

Remarks. Although superficially similar to species of Axiopsis , the type species and the second described below differ in two important characters. Pleurobranchs are present and well developed over pereopods 2–4 (absent and probable apomorphy in Axiopsis ) and the male pleopod 2 lacks an appendix masculina (present and probable plesiomorphy in Axiopsis ).