Chauliodoniscus Lincoln 1985

Chauliodoniscus Lincoln, 1985

Type species: Chauliodoniscus tasmanaeus Lincoln, 1985.

Diagnosis. Haloniscidae with pereonites 5–7 free (pleotelson may be fused mid-dorsally with one or two pereonites but lateral margins are separated), one or more of pereonites 2–4 with prolonged anterolateral angles. Cephalon without rostrum. Body subcylindrical and capable of rolling like a ball. Article 3 of antenna 2 with or without long spinous process. Pleotelson with posterior margin truncated or broadly rounded.

Remarks. The definition of Chauliodoniscus is modified to accommodate C. sandersi, with emphasis given to the unique features of the extension of the anterolateral angles of one or more of the anterior four pereonites, and the lack of a median cephalic projection. It is interesting to point out that out of the 10 species of this genus, eight are known from the south Atlantic (Lincoln, 1985a) while two species, C. sandersi sp. nov. and the high latitude species C. armadilloides (Hansen, 1916), are known only from the north Atlantic. Thus far, the genus does not include any species from the Indian Ocean, which is poorly explored for the presence of deep-sea isopods in general. However, the absence of the genus in the Pacific deep sea is remarkable since many haploniscid species are known from the south-east Pacific (Menzies and George, 1962) and from the north-west Pacific (Birstein, 1963).