Family KIWAIDAE n. fam.

TYPE GENUS. — Kiwa n. gen.

ETYMOLOGY. — The name is derived from the type genus Kiwa n. gen.

DESCRIPTION

Body depressed, symmetrical. Carapace calcified, slightly convex, smooth. Rostrum well developed, triangular. Cervical grooves clearly distinct between gastric and anterior branchial regions and between anterior and posterior branchial regions; either side of mesogastric region with small sharply defined tip. Cardiac region small and depressed and separated from branchial regions by shallow grooves. Anterior branchial regions well delimited and separated by short median longitudinal groove; small W-shaped groove over this groove. Posterior branchial regions separated by median longitudinal groove. Intestinal region well circumscribed and separat- ed from branchial regions by distinct grooves. Posterior half of pterygostomian flap with two longitudinal and subparallel carina. Abdominal segments smooth, not folded against thorax; telson folded beneath preceding abdominal somite, with a median transverse suture and a longitudinal suture in the posterior half of telson; uropods spatulate. Epistome unarmed. Sternal plate between third maxillipeds (sternite 3) well developed, strongly produced anteriorly; sternal plate between fifth pereopods (sternite 8) absent. Eyes strongly reduced to small soft tissue, not calcified, movable, without pigment, inserted near antennulae. Antennal peduncle 5-segmented, without antennal scale; flagellum of moderate length. Dense long plumose setae mainly on sternum and ventral surface of pereopods. Third maxillipeds with coxae having distal border strongly produced and denticulate, and each tooth with corneous margin; crista dentata in proximal half of ischium; epipods absent. Chelipeds (pereopod 1) strong, subequal, and greatly elongate, corneous tip of movable finger fitting between two corneous tips of fixed finger; walking legs (pereopods 2-4) stout, with claw-like dactyli bearing dense corneous spinules along flexor margin. Fifth pereopod chelated, inserted below sternite 7, insertion not visible ventrally.