Description of a new species of an apseudomorph tanaidacean (Crustacea: Peracarida: Tanaidacea: Kalliapseudidae) from India

A new species of an apseudomorphan tanaid belonging to the kalliapseudid genus Kalliapseudes Stebbing, 1910 is described from Southeastern Arabian Sea, India. Kalliapseudes kanyakumari sp. nov. resembles Kalliapseudes dongarae Drumm & Heard, 2011 from southwestern Australia and K. primitivus Nierstrasz, 1913 from western Africa in the nature of the setae on the pleotelson, the exopodites of the cheliped and first pereopod, the claw of the sixth pereopod, and the composition of articles and number of aesthetascs on the antennular outer flagellum. The new species differs from these two species in the presence of higher numbers of aesthetascs on the third and fourth articles of antennular outer flagellum, the absence of broom setae on the first antennular peduncle article and basis of second and third pereopods, the armature of cutting edge of the fixed finger of cheliped, and a relatively shorter dactylus of the sixth pereopod. The new species also resembles K. bamberi Drumm & Heard, 2011 from Malaysia in the nature of the terminal seta of the mandibular palp and the proximal tooth on the cutting edge of fixed finger of male cheliped, but differs in the nature of setae on the pleotelson, antenna, pereopods and uropods, a higher number of articles of the antennular flagella and aesthetascs of the antennular outer flagellum, the armature of cheliped, and a relatively shorter dactylus of the sixth pereopod.