Leptognathiopsis Holdich & Bird 1986
- Dataset
- Leptognathiidae Sieg, 1976 *
- Rank
- GENUS
Classification
- kingdom
- Animalia
- phylum
- Arthropoda
- class
- Malacostraca
- order
- Tanaidacea
- family
- Colletteidae
- genus
- Leptognathiopsis
diagnosis
Diagnosis (modified after Holdich & Bird 1986). Colletteid, female with body slightly tapering posteriorly, all pereonites shorter than broad; pleonites with epimera with long seta. Antennule four-articled, article 4 with large terminal aesthetasc. Antenna six-articled. Mandible molar acuminate, with terminal spines. Maxilliped endite with disto-medial cusp and disto-lateral setae. Pereopods 1 – 3 ischium with seta at least half as long as merus, merus with ventral spiniform seta over-reaching carpus. Pereopods 4 – 6 ischium with two setae, one at least half as long as merus, carpus with three spiniform setae and one rod-like seta, pereopods 4 – 5 propodus with one dorso-distal spiniform seta, pereopod 6 with two setae. Pleopods present or absent in female; uropod biramous, exopod one-articled, endopod two-articled. Preparatory male (natatory male unknown, if present) as female, but antennule thicker, four-articled, and pleopods present (if absent in female).
discussion
Remarks. This genus was originally established for a British shallow-water species, L. attenuata that had previously been misidentified as Leptognathia manca G. O. Sars, 1882 in several British publications (e. g. Holdich & Jones 1983 a, b). In a phylogenetic analysis Larsen & Wilson (2002) placed Leptognathiopsis in the new family Colletteidae. With the collection of new specimens that seem clearly identifiable as Leptognathia langi Kudinova-Pasternak, 1970 a redescription was made possible as well as a transfer of the species to the genus Leptognathiopsis. A correction to the figures of the pereopods 4 – 6 of L. attenuata given by Holdich & Bird (op. cit.) is required, as the double dorso-distal propodal spiniform setae on pereopods 4 – 5 was incorrect (possibly due to an optical effect of a larger, single grooved seta). Only a single seta is present (Fig. 6 G), although two are present on pereopod 6 (Fig. 6 I). Also, one of the carpal setae is more slender than the other three, rather than being equally thick. A new record of L. attenuata has been obtained from outside of the British Isles, viz. the Faeroe Islands shelf, at 283 metres (BIOFAR project – Bird ined.).