Corophiidae Leach 1814, sp. nov.

Family Corophiidae Leach, 1814

Laticorophium bifurcatum sp. nov. (Fig. 7)

Type material. Male holotype, 2.2 mm (NHMUK 2015. 3143), samples from rock and associated seaweeds and hydroids on sides of concrete north tidal gate, within Sea City waterways, 17 March 2014, D.K. Raja. Paratypes, 4 males, 15 females (NHMUK 2015. 3144–3153), same data as holotype.

Other material. 15 males, 61 females (NHMUK 2015. 3154–3163), from tunicates attached to concrete sides of north tidal gate in phase A3 Sea City, 20 April 2014, D.K. Raja; 48 males, 102 females (NHMUK 2015. 3164– 3173), from sponges growing on concrete sides of North Tidal Gate, phase A3, Sea City, 8 April 2014, D.K. Raja.

Description. Based on male holotype 2.2 mm.

Head. Head with short triangular rostrum; Eyes subround. Antenna 1 peduncular articles 1 and 2 subequal, article 1 with two robust setae on the posterior proximal margin, the basal one recurved and two robust setae on the inner proximal margin; article 3 short; peduncular articles clothed with long fine setae; flagellum short, with three articles. Antenna 2 grossly enlarged; peduncular article 4 subrectangular with two strong spines on the posterodistal margin, a short inner one and a longer, recurved outer one; article 5 much more slender and about two thirds length of article 1, posterodistal margin with one spine, sub-distal margin with one spine; flagellum composed of two stout, setose articles. Maxilliped palp well developed, palp article 2 extending beyond end of outer plate.

Pereon. Gnathopod 1, dactyl bifid, tip exceeding short, oblique palm. Gnathopod 2, carpus short, deep, posterodistal margin setose; propodus lacking palm; dactylus short, bidentate. Pereopods 3–4 short; basis broad; segment 4 broadened distally, slightly overhanging short article 5. Pereopods 5–6 short, similar in form but bases unequal in size; segment 5 short, with 2 posterolateral clusters of short hook spines. Pereopod 7 not elongate; basis medium broad; dactyl short.

Pleon. Urosome segments 1–3 fused, plate-like. Uropod 1 peduncle broad elongate, rami much shorter than peduncle, inner ramus longer than outer, both rami with robust setae. Uropod 2 peduncle stout, short; outer ramus shorter than peduncle rounded, with robust and fine setae, inner ramus slender, subequal with peduncle with robust setae. Uropod 3 peduncle short with large outer lobe; ramus short subround. Telson small, rounded.

Female up to 3.0 mm (sexually dimorphic characters). Antenna 2 peduncular article 4 much less robust than that of male, inner margin with one basal, one medio-distal and one distal robust seta; article 5 shorter and more slender than article 4, lacking spines or robust setae.

Remarks. Laticorophium bifurcatum sp. nov. is very close to L. baconi Shoemaker, 1934. It differs in having the male antenna 2 with a strong spine on the posterior margin of article 5. In this respect it superficially resembles Apocorophium acutum (Chevreux, 1908) but unlike that species (and genus) it has a notched urosome, a bidentate dactylus on gnathopod 2 and a strongly lobate peduncle of uropod 3. It also differs from L. baconi in having two robust setae inserted on a swollen posteroproximal region of article 4 of the male antenna 2 as well as having the posterodistal spine on article 4 of the male antenna 2 divergent as opposed to recurved.

Distribution. Kuwait