First record and a new species of Foxiphalus Barnard, 1979 (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Phoxocephalidae) from the Atlantic Ocean, with two new records of the family from northeastern Brazil

Abstract

A new species of Foxiphalus Barnard, 1979 is described. The material examined was collected as part of the project “Avaliação da biota bentônica e planctônica da Bacia Potiguar e Ceará” (BPOT), off northeastern Brazilian continental slope on the state of Rio Grande do Norte at depths ranging from 135 to 283 meters. Foxiphalus potiguara sp. nov. is recognized among its congeners by: rostrum slightly exceeding the article 2 of antenna 1; lower lip outer lobes with strong shoulder cusps; maxilliped inner plate with two apical robust setae; gnathopod 2 carpus shortened; pereopod 5 basis tapering distally; and epimeral plate 3 posterior margin weakly crenulated. This is the first record of Foxiphalus for the Atlantic Ocean and we provide an amended diagnosis of the genus and an identification key to its world species. In addition, two new records of Phoxocephalidae are reported from northeastern Brazil: Heterophoxus shoemakeri Andrade & Senna, 2020 and Metharpinia dentiurosomaAlonso de Pina, 2003.

Keywords:
Amphipoda; Amphilochidea; Taxonomy; Potiguar Basin; Rio Grande do Norte