The genus Mallacoota (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Melitidae) from Mauritius, with description of a new species

Abstract

Four species of amphipod in the genus Mallacoota were collected from Mauritius between 1998 and 2000, One species, M. caerulea sp. nov. is new to science, two species, M. latibrachium (Walker), M. schellenbergi Ledoyer, have not previously been reported from Mauritius and one species, M. insignis (Chevreux) is known to be widespread in tropical seas. Full descriptions, figures and notes on the habitat are given for the new species and for the two previously unrecorded species as well as selected figures of M. insignis. A fifth species, attributed to M. subcarinata (Haswell), by Ledoyer was not found in the present work. Its identification with M. subcarinata (Haswell) is questioned.