Open Access

Sukonthip Savatenalinton

• The new genus Thaicypridopsis gen. nov. described here belongs to the tribe Zonocypridini Higuti & Martens, 2012 in the subfamily Cypridopsinae Kaufmann, 1900. It is the first record of the Recent representatives within this tribe in Southeast Asia and Oriental regions. Thaicypridopsis gen. nov. has a number of remarkable characters that distinguish it from other genera in the subfamily: a submarginal row of distinctive tubercles on the postero-ventral part of the right valve in the interior view, a strong serrated claw G2 on the second antenna with an apical concavity, large bristles with hirsute endings and spatula-shaped apexes on all three maxillular endites and a bifurcate tip on the terminal claw of the second thoracopod. One new species, Thaicypridopsis longispinosa sp. nov., is described under this new genus in the present contribution. Apart from the above diagnostic characters, the new species also has long spines on the valve surface as its outstanding feature. The new taxon is morphologically compared with other related species and genera within and outside the subfamily Cypridopsinae. In addition, due to the new genus belonging to a group of genera with the left valve overlapping the right valve in the subfamily, a key to the genera within this group is given.