Alpheidae

The genus Jengalpheops Anker and Dworschak, 2007


        The recently established genus Jengalpheops includes only one species.

        Jengalpheops rufus Anker and Dworschak, 2007, the type species.

      Jengalpheops may be distinguished from other alpheid genera by the following features:

  1. Frontal margin of carapace with short rostrum, without orbital teeth; eyes mostly exposed in dorsal view.

  2. Presence of strap-like epipods (mastigobranchs) on coxae of the third maxilliped and first to fourth pereiopods.

  3. Equal and symmetrical feebly enlarged chelipeds, with carpus bearing comb-like rows of setae fingers without snapping mechanism.

  4. Sixth abdominal somite (pleomere) with articulated plate.

  5. Second pereiopod with five-segmented carpus.

        Jengalpheops is presently known only from the western Pacific. It belongs to a clade of “primitive” alpheids and is possibly closely related to Potamalpheops (Anker and Dworschak, 2007), from which it may be separated by the absence of orbital teeth and the non-toothed diaeresis (transverse suture) of the uropodal exopod.