Leptomenaeus Bruce 2007

Genus Leptomenaeus Bruce 2007

Diagnosis (after Bruce 2006, modified).

Small-sized pontoniine shrimps of very slender subcylindrical body shape. Carapace smooth, glabrous, with rostrum well developed, lateral carinae obsolete, dorsally dentate, ventral teeth obsolescent; epigastric spine present, hepatic and antennal spines present, hepatic spine fixed, supraorbital spines absent, orbit poorly developed, without postorbital groove, inferior orbital angle strongly produced, without distinct ventral flange, anterolateral angle of branchiostegite not produced. Abdomen very well developed, elongate, smooth, glabrous; third segment posterodorsally produced, non-carinate, pleura rounded; fourth and fifth not acutely produced posteriorly; sixth segment elongate, distinctly longer than postorbital carapace length. Antennule elongate, peduncle subequal to postorbital carapace length, with distolateral angle of basal segment produced; stylocerite acute, statocyst normal; intermediate segment about 0.6-0.8 of proximal segment length; flagella well developed. Antennal basicerite with lateral tooth and high subtriangular dorsal plate; scaphocerite well developed, with strong distolateral tooth not exceeding distal lamella. Ophthalmic somite without median ophthalmic process. Eyes well developed, subcylindrical, cornea globular, well pigmented, peduncles without lateral articular process; epistome unarmed. Mandible without palp, molar and incisor processes normal. Maxillula with feebly bilobed palp. Maxilla with slender, tapering palp, basal endite simple, narrow, with sparse simple setae distally, coxal endite obsolete. First maxilliped with simple non-setose palp, basal and coxal endites feebly separate, broad; exopod with well developed flagellum, caridean lobe large, elongate, epipod feebly bilobed. Second maxilliped with normal endopod, exopod well developed, epipod suboval, without podobranch. Third maxilliped very slender, ischiomerus fused, basis feebly separated, exopod well developed, coxa with elongate lateral plate, without arthrobranch. Second to third thoracic sternites elongate, unarmed, fourth without slender median process; with five pleurobranchs. First pereiopods slender, chela with fingers simple, cutting edges entire or finely serrate. Second pereiopods feebly developed, very slender, subequal and similar; chela slender, fingers elongate, exceeding palm length, tips strongly hooked, cutting edges non-dentate, finely serrate throughout length, merus without distoventral tooth, chela without molar process and fossa. Ambulatory pereiopods slender, dactyls slender, biunguiculate, without ventral basal process, merus and ischium distinct. Uropod with protopodite bluntly produced; exopod ventrolaterally non-setose, with distolateral tooth and mobile spine. Endopod of male first pleopod small, non-setose, without medial accessory lobe; second pleopod endopod with appendix masculina with two setulose terminal setae. Telson with two pairs of small dorsal spines and three pairs of posterior spines.

Generic distribution. Ryukyu Islands, Japan (Okuno & Mitsuhashi 2003); Nhatrang Bay, southeastern Vietnam (this report).