Haimormus shimojiensis, a new genus and species of Pseudozeuxidae (Crustacea: Tanaidacea) from a submarine limestone cave in Northwestern Pacific

Abstract

We establish a new pseudozeuxid genus Haimormus gen. nov. based on a new species Haimormus shimojiensis sp. nov. which was collected from a submarine limestone cave with the entrance at 35 m depth, in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. H. shimojiensis differs from the other confamilial members, Pseudozeuxo belizensis Sieg, 1982 and Charbeitanais spongicola Bamber & Bird, 1997, in having the pleonite 1 without the pleopod, the pereopods 2 and 3 propodus with a ventral spiniform seta, and the pereopods 4-6 propodus with one long and two short dorsodistal setae. A key to females of species of Pseudozeuxidae is presented. This is the first tanaidacean report from submarine caves around Japan.