Pomacuma Hale 1944

Type species: Pomacuma cognatum Hale, 1944

Body: Carapace shorter than abdomen and similar in length or shorter than peraeon; abdomen approximately as long as or longer than carapace and peraeon together.

Cephalothorax: In dorsal view the carapace may be laterally compressed anteriorly. Carapace may have mid-dorsal ridge. Pseudorostral lappets extend beyond frontal lobe and meet in midline. Antennal notch as an acute incision. Anterolateral corner bluntly rounded. Frontal lobe from 1/3 to half the total carapace length; as wide as long; anteriorly linguiform; with ocular pigment and eye lenses.

Antenna 1 with basal article of the peduncle arcuate; as long as or shorter than the other two articles together. Main flagellum bi-articulated; with two, three or more aesthetascs in distal-most article. Accessory flagellum uni-articulated. Males with antenna 2 reaching end of pleon.

Maxilliped 3 basis geniculate or arcuate; expanded (opercular); extended dorso-distally and/or ventral over ischium; beyond the articulation of the ischium and merus. Ischium shorter than merus. Merus slightly expanded laterally. Carpus proximally widened; equal to or shorter than propodus and dactylus together. Propodus distally widened or oviform; with a brush of setae.

Peraeon: First peraeonite visible only above lateral midline. Peraeonite 2 wide or proportional to other peraeonites; with ventrolateral expansion overriding peraeonite 1 and/or carapace. Peraeonite 3 extended forward and backwards overriding peraeonites 2 and 4. Peraeonite 4 with ventrolateral expansion overriding peraeonite 5.

Females and males with fully developed exopods on peraeopods 1–3 and reduced on peraeopod 4. Peraeopod 1, opercular (with basis-carpus expanded, ischium and merus rotated to parallel positions); basis arcuate, may have row of setae, with dorso-distal projection totally or partially covering the ischium; ischium modified as a rounded lobe with exterior concavity; carpus oviform in shape, with row of setae; brush (three or more) of long setae on the propodus (setae longer than carpus); carpus equal in length to propodus. Peraeopod 2 with ischium; dactylus longer than propodus. Peraeopod 4 with ischium.

Pleon: Pleonite 6 longer than wide; longer than or as long as peduncle of uropod. Whole width of pleonite 6 well extended past the insertion of the uropods; ending in a point or a rounded apex. Alternatively, a wide portion of the distal end of pleonite 6 well extended past the insertion of the uropods, apex rounded.

Uropod endopod bi-articulated; proximal article longer than distal one. Uropod exopod with proximal article shorter than distal one. Rami longer than peduncle; rami approximately same length. Males with five pairs of pleopods.

Species included:

1. P. australiae (Zimmer, 1921b)

2. P. cognatum Hale, 1944

3. Pomacuma sp. nov. 1 Tafe & Greenwood, 1996

Distribution: Coasts of Australia and New Zealand from 0 to 75 m.