Indiaphonte bijoyi gen. et sp. nov., a new laophontid (Harpacticoida: Laophontidae: Laophontinae) from the Southeastern Arabian Sea, India

A new genus and species of Laophontidae, Indiaphonte bijoyi gen. et sp. nov. without sexual dimorphism in the male P3 endopod is described from Kavaratti Island off the southwestern coast of India. Several laophontid genera are known in which both sexes possess three-segmented exopods and two-segmented endopods of P2–P4 and the males lack sexual dimorphism in the endopod of P3. Of these, Tapholeon inconspicuus Gheerardyn & Fiers 2007a and T. uniarticulatus Wells 1967, and Indiaphonte gen. nov. share the unmodified outer distal seta on the male P3 ENP 3.

However, Indiaphonte gen. nov., and the other two species differ in the segmentation of P1 EXP, and, in this respect the new taxon resembles the other four species of that genus. However, the new species presented here and Tapholeon Wells 1967 differ in the shape of the habitus, armature of the second antennulary segment, in the reduced abexopodal seta on the antennary allobasis, and in the number of setae on the female P5 BENP and EXP.

The males of Folioquinpes Fiers & Rutledge 1990 exhibit slight sexual dimorphism in the male P4 ENP consisting in the comparatively stronger outer distal spine of the male P4 ENP 2. The sexual dimorphism of the male P4 ENP of I. bijoiy gen. et sp. nov. consists in the relatively longer ramus, and in an additional inner seta on ENP 2. Given all the above, the proposal of a new genus, Indiaphonte gen. nov., for the new species described here from India, is justified.

Some comments on the sexual dimorphism in the males of Laophontidae are given.