Zeaione Boyko & Williams, 2025

Zeaione Boyko & Williams gen. nov.

Zeaione everta Boyko & Williams. Type species.

Diagnosis

Female body elongate, weakly distorted (<5 °); head weakly bilobed; frontal lamina present, expanded laterally. Eyes absent. Maxilliped with setose articulated non-segmented palp, margin of anterior lobe highly setose. Barbula with three smooth lobes on each side, median region smooth. Oostegite 1 with lobe ovate, posterior lobe oblong, smaller than anterior lobe, lobes almost fused; internal ridge smooth. Coxal plates and dorsolateral bosses present; tergal projections absent. Mediodorsal lobes absent. Pereopods not elongate, without propodal sockets. Pleon not abruptly narrower than pereon; dorsolateral margins of pleomeres 1–6 with numerous, irregular, mostly semi-spherical protuberances. Lateral plates broad, lamellar, with scalloped posterior margins; five pairs of smooth biramous pleopods with endopod bilobed, with scalloped posterior margins; uropods biramous, smooth, lamellar. Male approximately 3 times as long as wide, head narrower than pereon, pereomeres slightly narrower posteriorly. Small, irregular eyes present. Segmented maxillipeds present, distal segment with terminal setae. Pereopods subequal. Mid-ventral tubercles absent. Pleon of six pleomeres; lateral plates absent; five pairs of uniramous low rounded pleopods; posterolateral corners of pleomere 6 extended; anal cone present; uropods absent.

Etymology

The genus name is a combination of Zea (after the corn genus Zea Linnaeus, 1753 ) and - ione (a common suffix for epicaridean genera) and, in combination with the type species name, refers to the resemblance between the irregular protuberances on the dorsolateral margins of the female pleomeres and popped kernels of popcorn. The gender is feminine.