Pseudidotheaarmata sp. n., a new isopod of the genus Pseudidothea (Crustacea, Malacostraca, Isopoda) from the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In the framework of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) Expedion JR 15005 SO-AntEco, held in February-March 2016, the South Orkney Islands seafloor was sampled in order to investigate the distribution and composition of benthic communities around the area. NEW INFORMATION A new species of the genus Pseudidothea Ohlin, 1901 is described from the Burdwood Bank area (South Orkney Islands). It has been collected during the SO-AntEco JR15005 RRS James Clark Ross expedition under the lead of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). The new species, Pseudidotheaarmata sp. n., is very similar to P.scutata (Stephensen, 1947); however, it is characterised by peculiar supra-ocular spines and a different tubercular pattern. The study of the species of the Pseudidothea helps to better understand the diversity of the Pseudidotheidae in the Southern Ocean.