Agnara tarahomii, Kashani, 2016

Kashani, Ghasem M., 2016, First record of the genus Agnara (Isopoda: Oniscidea) from Iran with descriptions of two new species, Journal of Natural History 50, pp. 2143-2152 : 2144-2148

Agnara tarahomii n. sp.

( Figures 2–4 )

Material examined

Holotype: male, 5 mm, Golestan, Maraveh Tappeh to Gonbad Kavoos, Kheyr-Khajeh Sofla village , 37°43.7 ʹ N, 54°55.0 ʹ E, alt. 55 m, 4 August 2014, leg. G.M. Kashani ( ZUTC 5387 ).

Paratypes. Golestan, same data as holotype, one female with marsupium ( ZUTC 5388 ); same data as holotype, one male and one female ( IRIPP Iso-1061); same data as holotype, one male, two females and three juv. ( PCGMK 2044 ) ; Bandar Gaz, by the Caspian Sea shore, 1 August 2014, one male ( PCGMK 2003 ); 2 km to Maraveh-Tappeh, Gharghecha village , 37°52.8 ʹ N, 55°57.7 ʹ E, alt . 240 m, 3 August 2014, one male and two females ( PCGMK 2036 ); Korand , 37°57.1 ʹ N, 55°30.7 ʹ E, alt . 200 m, 4 August 2014, one male and five females ( PCGMK 2042 ); 10 km N Gomishan , 37°09.6 ʹ N, 54°01.6 ʹ E, alt . − 35 m, 5 August 2014, one male ( PCGMK 2064 ) .

Diagnosis

Head with developed rounded lateral lobes, frons with an incision in the middle; male pereopod VII ischium with straight ventral margin; male pleopod endopodite I with rounded apex, exopodite I with sinuous distal margin.

Description

Maximum length of both males and females 6 mm. Colour pale brown with the usual pale muscles spots. Cephalon granulated with fine tubercles, with developed lateral and median lobes, frons with an incision in the middle ( Figure 2 (a)). Dorsal scale-setae tricorn-shaped ( Figure 2 (c)). Antenna long, surpassing the posterior margin of pereon tergite II; fifth article of peduncle almost as long as flagellum, with length: width ratio 8:1; flagellum with two articles, proximal article as long as the distal one ( Figure 2 (e)). Right mandible, lacinia mobilis basally covered with fine spines, distally with a tuft of small setae; pars molaris consisting of 1 + 1 free penicils ( Figure 3 (a)). Left mandible, lacinia mobilis basally covered with fine spines, distally with two tufts of small setae; pars molaris consisting of several plumose setae on a short common socket ( Figure 3 (b)). First maxilla with outer branch bearing 4 + 4 teeth; inner branch with two long penicils and a triangular posterior point ( Figure 3 (c)). Second maxilla distally bilobate and setose, inner lobe wider than outer one ( Figure 3 (d)). Maxilliped endite with two small triangular teeth on anterior margin ( Figure 3 (e)). Pereopod I dactylus with dactylar and ungual setae with simple apices ( Figure 2 (f)).

Pereon with fine tubercles. Pereon tergite I with rounded posterolateral margin ( Figure 2 (a)). Noduli laterales at the same distance from the lateral margins of pereonites ( Figure 2 (b)).

Pleon narrower than pereon, granulated with fine tubercles. Telson triangular, with concave sides and rounded apex, slightly surpassing uropod protopodites ( Figure 2 (d)). Uropod exopodites almost twice as long as telson ( Figure 2 (d)). Pleopod exopodites I–V with monospiracular covered lungs ( Figure 4 (b-f)).

Male: Pereopods I–III merus and carpus with brushes of setae on ventral margin ( Figure 2 (f)). Pereopod VII ischium with straight ventral margin ( Figure 2 (g, h)). Pleopod exopodite I hind lobe with rounded sinuous distal margin ( Figure 4 (b)); endopodite I straight with rounded apex equipped with a row of short setae ( Figure 4 (a)). Pleopod endopodite II longer than exopodite; exopodite triangular, outer margin concave equipped with a line of strong setae ( Figure 4 (f)). Pleopod exopodites III–IV with slightly concave outer margin equipped with a line of strong setae ( Figure 4 (d, e)). Pleopod exopodite V outer margin straight, equipped with a line of strong setae ( Figure 4 (f)).

Remarks

Agnara tarahomii n. sp. is similar to A. madagascariensis and A. ferrarai Jeon & Kwon but differs from both by the absence of a ridge on the dorsal margin of the male pereopod VII carpus. It also differs from A. gallagheri (Ferrara and Taiti) and A. haselii n. sp. by the shape of pleopod exopodite I with sinuous, rather than rounded or truncate, distal margin.

Etymology

The species is named after Dr Mostafa Tarahomi, my late friend and classmate, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran.

Distribution

Northern Iran.

Figures

Figure 2. Agnara tarahomii n. sp., male, paratype. (a) cephalon and first pereonite, dorsal view; (b) left side of pereon showing the position of noduli laterales; (c) dorsal scale-setae; (d) telson and uropods; (e) antenna; (f) pereopod I; (g) pereopod VII; (h) pereopod VII ischium enlarged. Scales = a–c, 1 mm; d–g, 0.5 mm.

Figure 3. Agnara tarahomii n. sp., female, paratype. (a) right mandible; (b) left mandible; (c) first maxilla; (d) second maxilla; (e) maxilliped. Scales = 0.1 mm.

Figure 4. Agnara tarahomii n. sp., male, paratype. (a) pleopod I; (b) pleopod exopodite I; (c) pleopod II; (d) pleopod exopodite III; (e) pleopod exopodite IV; (f) pleopod exopodite V. Scales = 0.2 mm.