Chauliopleona Dojiri and Sieg 1997

Chauliopleona Dojiri and Sieg, 1997 Leptognathia: Hansen 1913: 79, in part, for Leptognathia ‘group a, subdivision γ ’ Chauliopleona Dojiri and Sieg, 1997: 231 (diagnosis); Guerrero-Kommritz 2005: 1179–1180 (diagnosis and remarks); Larsen 2005: 251–252 (diagnosis and remarks); Larsen and Shimomura 2007: 32–33 (remarks and description of C. hansknechti); Bird 2007: 141–143 (remarks and records of Japan Trench species); Larsen and Shimomura 2009: 50–58 (remarks and description of C. sinusa); Błażewicz-Paszkowycz, Bamber, Jóźwiak 2012: 19–21 (redescription of C. hansknechti); Larsen and Araújo-Silva 2014: 245–255 (diagnosis and descrip- tion of C. ciimari and C. andeepi); else, see Anderson 2013 or Sieg 1983 Diagnosis (developed from Dojiri and Sieg 1997, Larsen and Shimomura 2009). Akanthophoreid with cephalothorax with parallel or sub-parallel lateral margins. Pleonites 1–4 sternites with or without low medial process, pleonite-5 sternite with acute recurved spur. Pleotelson lateral margins smooth. Mandible molar acuminate-palmate. Maxilliped bases with or without long seta. Cheliped carpus inferior shield very slight to strongly developed; fixed finger without proximal dentition, with two inferior bayonet spines; dactylus with crenate or smooth superior margin. Pereopods 1–3 basis not broader than that of pereopods 4–6, superior margin with large plumose sensory seta (PSS); pereopod-1 carpus with two bayonet spines, pereopods 2–3 with three. Pereopods 4–6 carpus with three bayonet spines and superodistal rod-like seta; pereopods 4–5 propodus with one superodistal spine, pereopod-6 with three (sometimes slender). Uropod peduncle simple [without spur]; exopod two-segmented, shorter than segment-1 of endopod.

Preparatory male. Pleon slightly larger than in female. Antennule five-articled, broader than female. Mouthparts similar. Pleopods slightly larger and/or with more setae than female. Swimming male: unknown or not proven.

Chauliopleona dentata Dojiri and Sieg, 1997.

Chauliopleona amdrupii (Hansen 1913); C. amftae Guerrero-Kommritz, 2005; C. andeepi Larsen and Araújo-Silva, 2014; C. armata (Hansen 1913); C. bamberi n. sp.; C. ciimari Larsen and Araújo-Silva, 2014; C. dentata; C. faini Larsen, 2005; C. hansknechti Larsen and Shimomura, 2007; C. hastata (Hansen 1913); C. nickeli Guerrero-Kommritz, 2005; C. paradoxa Guerrero-Kommritz, 2005; C. sinusa Larsen and Shimomura, 2009.

Chauliopleona is an Akanthophoreus or Parakanthophoreus -like genus with pleonite-5 supporting an acute, recurved, sternal spur. Diagnoses of this akanthophoreid genus have been given previously several times (see above). Twelve species have been described to date (Anderson 2013; Larsen and Araújo-Silva 2014) but it has been a problematic genus, mainly because it has been difficult to find diagnostic and phylogenetically valid characters that separate it from Akanthophoreus, Parakanthophoreus and Paraleptognathia, other than the pleonal spur. There has also been speculation that the pleonal spur might only be a sex-related character (Bamber, Larsen pers. comm.). Surprisingly, this was the only character in the original generic diagnosis (Dojiri and Sieg 1997, p. 231). Its status in mancae remains unresolved as none of these were identified as Chauliopleona in the present study; it is quite possible that the spur is absent in this developmental stage and they would be indistinguishable from mancae of Akanthophoreus or Parakanthophoreus.