Abstract
A new genus and species of the family Parabathynellidae, Siambathynella laorsriae gen. nov. et sp. nov. is described from Thailand. The new genus displays an exclusive character: a distinctive male thoracopod VIII with a row of denticles on the basipod. The new species also displays a unique combination of morphological characters, including a seven-segmented antennule, seven-segmented antenna, sexual dimorphism on the antennule, exopod of thoracopod I one-segmented, exopod of thoracopod II–VII two-segmented, male thoracopod VIII lacking basipodal seta, female thoracopod VIII with two setae, lacking pleopods, sympod of the uropod with inhomonomous row of spines, and endopod of uropod with a spinous distal process and a large distal spine ornamented with rows of setules. This is the first record of Bathynellacea (family Parabathynellidae) in Thailand, extending the distributional range of this taxon in Asia.
Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge C. Puch who helped us in various ways. The younger author (S.W.) would like to thank the Thailand Research Fund special programme for the Royal Golden Jubilee Ph.D. Programme No. 4.B.KK/49, and the Thai Commission on Higher Education (CHE-RES-RG Programme) for financial support.This work was supported by project grant CGL2010–15786 (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain).