Philocheras vanderbilti (Boone 1935)

Philocheras vanderbilti (Boone, 1935)

Pontophilus vanderbilti Boone, 1935:200, pl. 55 [type-locality: Selat Flores, near Larantuka, Flores, Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia; 256 meters].

DIAGNOSIS.—Rostrum anteriorly concave in dorsal aspect, slightly overreaching eyes, terminal lobe abruptly deflexed into vertical plane; carapace about as broad as long postorbitally, 2 gastric and 1 cardiac spines in midline, with 6 pairs of lateral carinae and 3 paired lateral spines; abdomen dorsally carinate on 3rd somite; antennal scale nearly 4 times as long as wide, with tooth slightly beyond proximal of lateral margin, distolateral spine overreaching blade; carapace length 4.2 mm.

RANGE.—Known only from the holotype from Selat Flores, Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia; 256 meters.

*Pontocaris Bate, 1888

Pontocaris Bate, 1888:495 [type-species, selected by Holthuis, 1947:320:Pontocaris propensalata Bate, 1888:496; gender: feminine].

DIAGNOSIS.—Rostrum cleft apically, with 1 pair of lateral teeth, at most; carapace with 7–12 teeth on 1st lateral carina, with indistinct postorbital suture extending nearly to branchial region; abdominal sterna armed with median spines; eye with cornea well-developed, pigmented; antennal scale with well-developed blade; 1st pereopod with exopod; 2nd pereopod chelate, overreaching merus of anteriorly extended 1st pereopod; 8 pairs of gills, each curving anteriorly at ventral end.

RANGE.—South Africa, Indian Ocean (including Red Sea and Persian Gulf), Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, and eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean; the largest number of known species seem to be concentrated in the Indian Ocean, Indonesia, and the Philippines, with the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific devoid of Pontocaris records at the present time. The depth range is from 11 to 900 meters.