Leptochelia Vatulelensis (Crustacea: Tanaidacea), A New Species From Anchialine Caves of the South-Western Pacific

Leptochelia vatulelensis n. sp., discovered on the small islands of Vatulele (Fijian group) and Ouvéa (Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia), is described and illustrated. The new species is distinguished from the others of the "Leptochelia-dubia group" (to which it is generally similar) by the following combination of morphological characteristics: (1) the presence of three to four distal setae on the maxilliped basis; (2) merus of pereopods III and IV with only a distosternal seta; (3) endopod of the uropods formed of four (rarely three) articles; (4) males with two (sometimes three) relatively short aesthetascs on the first five articles of the antennular flagellum; (5) male cheliped with a diminished dimorphism; (6) males with a vertical comb-row of setae on the cheliped propodus. Although it inhabits inland, anchialine caves, the new species lacks morphological features that are characteristic of some cave species.