A New Species of the Shrimp Genus Philocheras (Crustacea: Decapoda: Caridea: Crangonidae) from Shallow Coral Reefs in the Western Pacific, with a Supplementary Note on P.breviflagella

Abstract

A new spectes ef crangonid shrimp, Philocheras coralliQphil"s, is described on the basis of material from shallow coral reefs of southern Japan, the Philippines, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. Several presumably apomor-phic characters, ineluding the strongly broadened rostnmi with a truncate or broadly concave anterior margtn, the lack of appendices intemae on every pleopod, and the lack of an appendix masculina on the male second pleopod, suggest that the new species is closely related to P, sabsechota (Kemp, 1911) and P, brevijlagella Komai, 2001. The shape of the rostrum and the development of the carapacial carinae distinguish P. coralliQphilus from its two close congeners,