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Unresolved name

Caecidotea lesliei

Comprehensive Description

provided by Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology
Caecidotea lesliei

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—ILLINOIS. McDonough Co.: outlet of field drain tile, 3.0 mi (4.8 km) S of Colmar, leg. Leslie Hubricht, 4 May 1941, holotype 10.8 mm (USNM 172788), 3, 6 (1 ovig.) paratypes (USNM 108578).

DESCRIPTION.—Eyeless, some specimens with faint scattered light brown pigment after 37 years in alcohol. Body linear, pereonites 2–4 slightly expanded in ovigerous female, about 5.6× as long as wide; largest 10.8 mm (holotype); largest (nonovigerous) 9.8 mm. Coxae barely visible in dorsal view. Lateral margins of head sparsely setose, of pereonites moderately setose. Head almost twice as wide as long, anterior margin slightly concave. Postmandibular lobes barely evident in , moderately developed in . Telson about 1.6× as long as wide, lateral margins subparallel, caudomedial lobe quite low.

Antenna 1 reaching about midlength of the last peduncle segment of antenna 2, flagellum of 9–10 segments, esthete formula 3-0-1. Antenna 2 reaching to 4th or 5th pereonite, flagellum with about 50 segments.

Mandibles with 4-cuspate incisors and lacinia, spine-row with 9 and 11 spines in left and right mandibles. Middle segment of palp with double row of longer and shorter spines. Maxilla 1, apex of outer lobe with 13 large spines and 3 setae, 2 subterminal; inner lobe with 5 apical plumose setae. Maxilliped with 6 retinacula on right side, 5 on left.

Male pereopod 1 propus about 1/3 longer than wide, palm defined by short articulated spine, with 2 processes, a more proximal pointed triangular mesial process and a slightly shorter truncate distal process; dactyl flexor margin with a few weak spines. Female pereopod 1 with smaller propus; palm more oblique, defined by articulated spine, with rudimentary triangular mesial process but without distal process; dactyl with 5 spines on flexor margin, larger than those of . Pereopod 4 somewhat more robust in than in , but not markedly so.

Male pleopod 1 protopod about 0.7 length of exopod, with 5 retinacula. Exopod about twice as long as wide, with single basal seta; lateral margins slightly convex in proximal third, nearly straight and subparallel in distal two-thirds; distal margin armed with long setae and at the corners with short setae. Male pleopod 2, exopod proximal segment with 4 setae, distal segment with about 18 lateral and distal setae; endopod with pointed lateral basal apophysis, tip ending in 3 processes: (1) rather broad cannula curved medially, extending beyond other processes; (2) broad mesial process with truncate apex, directed obliquely laterad, overlapping anteriorly base of cannula; (3) broad, well-sclerotized caudal process with a few tubercles on lateral part. Female pleopod 2 with about 14 marginal setae. Pleopod 3 exopod sparsely setose on lateral margin of proximal segment and apical margin of distal segment; endopod with a few pustules on lateral margin. Pleopod 4 exopod pattern A, without proximal spines; endopod with a few pustules on lateral margin. Pleopod 5 exopod without proximal spines on lateral margin; endopod with a few pustules on lateral margin.

Female uropod protopod about 2.6× as long as wide; endopod slightly longer than protopod, exopod slightly shorter than protopod, both rami linear, sparsely armed. Male endopod spatulate, subequal to protopod; exopod less than half as long.

ETYMOLOGY.—The new species is named after Leslie Hubricht in recognition of his many contributions to biospeleology.

RELATIONSHIPS.—Caecidotea lesliei is most similar to C. tridentata, from which it differs in having a proximal articulated spine rather than a proximal process on the palm of the gnathopod, a nearly straight rather than a distally concave lateral margin on the exopod of the pleopod 1, a longer cannula, and a truncate rather than hooked mesial process on the pleopod 2 endopod. Caecidotea lesliei also resembles C. spatulata, but differs in its lack of eyes and of a lateral process on the pleopod 2 endopod.

HABITAT.—The occurrence in a drain tile suggests that C. lesliei is a phreatobite rather than a troglobite.

DISTRIBUTION.—Known only from the type-locality.
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bibliographic citation
Lewis, J. J. and Bowman, Thomas E. 1981. "The subterranean asellids (Caecidotea) of Illinois (Crustacea: Isopoda: Asellidae)." Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 1-66. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.335