PROC. BIOL. SOC. WASH. 
106(3), 1993, pp. 490-496 
A NEW SPECIES OF BENTHANA BUDDE-LUND 
FROM BRAZILIAN CAVES 
(CRUSTACEA; ISOPODA; ONISCOIDEA) 
Idalina Maria Brasil Lima and Cristiana Silveira Serejo 
Abstract. — Benthana iporangensis, a new species of terrestrial isopod inhab- 
iting caves of Sao Paulo, Brasil, is described, figured and compared with the 
closest species: Benthana longipenis and Benthana santosi. The position of the 
"noduli laterales" is presented for the three species here studied. 
Many studies (Jackson 1926; Van Name 
1936; Verhoeff 1941; Verhoeff 1951; Gru- 
ner 1955; Lemosde Castro 1958, 1985) have 
contributed to the knowledge of the genus 
Benthana Budde-Lund, 1908. 
Lemos de Castro (1958b) reviewed the 
genus, described seven new species and pro- 
vided a detailed redescription and a key for 
all hitherto known species. He described two 
additional new species, B. moreirai and B. 
dimorpha (1985). 
The genus Benthana Budde-Lund, 1908 
resembles Ctenoscia Verhoeff, 1917, Ben- 
thanoides Lemos de Castro, 1965 and Ben- 
thanops Barnard, 1932, in having inner 
ctenate teeth on outer lobe of maxillula. 
Benthana is easily distinguished by the 
presence of a sharp curved tooth on the lat- 
eral margin of male first exopodite of pleo- 
pod. 
A new species of the genus Benthana is 
here described based on specimens collect- 
ed in Brazilian caves. A diagnosis of the 
genus is also presented. 
Benthana Budde-Lund, 1908 
Diagnosis.— CQ^phdilon frontal line not 
visible, lateral lobes small, suprantennal line 
very prominent. Eyes small with numerous 
ommatidea. Mandibles with three penicilli 
on the right appendage and two on the left. 
Outer lobe of the maxillula with four simple 
outer spines, five large ctenate ones and a 
small and simple one. Endite of maxilliped 
with an anterior and a posterior spine and 
several short teeth at distal margin. Pleon 
abruptly narrower than pereion. Exopodites 
of the first male pleopod provided with a 
sharp, curved tooth on posterior margin. 
Endopodites of second male pleopod with 
a distal extremity very slender and long. 
Telson triangular, with sides straight or 
slightly sinuous, extremity subacute. Both 
rami of the uropods inserted at same level 
or very close, always posterior to tip of tel- 
son. In some species sexual dimorphism in 
pereopods 1-3 and 7 and in the proportions 
of uropods exopodites and endopodites, 
longer in male than in female. 
Type species.— Benthana picta (Brandt, 
1833). 
Benthana iporangensis, new species 
Figs. 1-4 
Type material. —Mnseu Nacional collec- 
tion. Iporanga, Sao Paulo— Aguas Quentes 
Caves: 2 66 and 3 99, Eleonora Trajano leg., 
November 1983, 1 6 Holotype MN 239.MI; 
1 6 and 3 99 Paratypes MN 240.MI; 1 <5, L. 
Ishibe leg., August 1978, Paratype MN 
24 1 .MI— Areias de Cima Caves: 1 6, E. Tra- 
jano leg., November 1983, Paratype MN 
242. MI; 1 6, E. Trajano leg., September 
1985, Paratype MN 243.MI— Areias de 
Baixo Caves: 1 9, E. Trajano leg., February 
1985, Paratype MN 244.MI. 
Description.— Adult male: 6.4-8.6 mm. 
Body subconvex 3.3 times as long as broad. 
VOLUME 106, NUMBER 3 
491 
Fig. 1 . Benthana iporangensis new species. Male. A: maxilla; B: dorsal view; C: right mandible; D: maxilliped; 
E: maxillule; F: cephalon, dorsal view. 
492 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 
O.snnnn 
Fig. 2. Benthana iporangensis new species. Male. A: pereopod 1; B: pereopod 2; C: pereopod 3; D: pereopod 
7. (Figs, to same scale: B and D.) 
Body surface smooth, without pigmenta- 
tion. Head big (Vs of the total body length), 
as wide as long. Lateral lobes small. Su- 
prantennal line distinctly marked, sinous, 
with the lateral parts concave. Eyes small 
with about 1 8 ommatidia without pigmen- 
tation. Antennula surpassing the supranten- 
nal line. Antennae reaching the end of fourth 
VOLUME 106, NUMBER 3 
493 
^-*-'-5*>r-r* — "^I 'V''' *^ ^ ' "^^ — **" 
0.5 mm 
Fig. 3. Benthana iporangensis new species. Female. A: pereopod 1; B: pereopod 2; C: pereopod 7; Male. D: 
antenne. (Figs, to same scale: A and B.) 
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PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 
Fig. 4. Benthana iporangensis new species. Male. A: pleopod 2; B: telson and uropods; C: pleopod 1; Noduli 
laterales: (b/c coordinates). D: B. longipenis Lemos de Castro, 1958; E: B. santosi Lemos de Castro, 1958; F: 
B. iporangensis n. sp.— (d/c coordinates). G: B. longipenis Lemos de Castro, 1958; H: B. santosi Lemos de 
Castro, 1958; I: B. iporangensis n. sp. 
VOLUME 106, NUMBER 3 
495 
thoracic segment when well drawn back. 
Flagellum as long as fifth joint, triarticulate, 
setose; its second joint smaller than first and 
third ones, which are subequal. Mandibles 
with molar penicil consisting of numerous 
fiinged setae. Outer branch of the maxillula 
with four conic teeth; the first one is the 
longest and the second is the smallest; inner 
branch with six teeth; the fifth one is simple 
and smaller than the others that are ctenate. 
Maxilla with the inner lobe rounded and 
very setose; the outer one has the superior 
margin a little concave in the middle. 
Pereon slightly convex; all pereonal epi- 
mera a few detached, visible only on ventral 
view. Anterolateral angles of pereonal seg- 
ments 1-3 project forward; segments 5-7 
with posterior angles well projected back- 
ward, the seventh reaches the anterior mar- 
gin of the third pleonite. The fourth segment 
has the posterior and anterior angles almost 
straight. "Noduli laterales" short, ap- 
proaching to the posterior margin in a de- 
creasing way from pleonites 1-7 (Fig. 4F, 
b/c coordinate); the fourth pleonite with the 
"nodulus lateralis" distinctly more distant 
from the lateral margin than the others (Fig. 
41, d/c coordinate). 
Pleon narrow, a few convex laterally, neu- 
pleurons of segments 3-5 downwards di- 
rected, its extremities distinctly separate 
when seen from above. Exopodite of male 
first pleopod with distal margin round with 
a few short setae; lateral margin very con- 
cave with a sharp dentiform extension. En- 
dopodite short and thick with a row of min- 
ute teeth on medial margin. Endopodite of 
the second male pleopod narrow with a long 
capillary extremity; exopodite without se- 
tae. Telson twice as wide as long; lateral 
margins straight; tip of telson proeminate 
and subacute. Uropods shorter than pleon. 
Protopodite exceeding beyond the telson tip, 
with a furrow on lateral margin. Exopodites 
and endopodites inserted in the same level, 
both furrowed laterally, on the outer and 
inner sides. Setae are present on medial 
margins. 
Sexual dimorphism: Male pereopods 1- 
3 with merus and carpus more densely se- 
tose. Ischium of female pereopod 7 with the 
distal part provided with only a spine. The 
ratio between the length exopodite and en- 
dopodite of uropods smaller in males than 
in females. 
Length of the largest specimen male: 8.6 
mm; female: 10.4 mm. 
Etymology. —The specific name refers to 
the locality where the specimens were col- 
lected. 
Remarks. —Examination of comparative 
material of Bent hana pictaiBrandt, 1833) 
taken from different states of Brazil, Rio de 
Janeiro (95 specimens), Sao Paulo (110 
specimens), Minas Gerais (15 specimens), 
Parana (3 specimens), Brasilia (25 speci- 
mens) shows that it is readly distinguished 
from the new species by having: a. a visible 
depression in the distal dorsal part of pleo- 
telson; b. the ratio of the uropod endopod/ 
exopod length that is 1/1 in ^. picta and 2/3 
in B. iporangensis. 
Benthana iporangensis closely resembles 
Benthana longipenis Lemos de Castro, 1958 
and Benthana santosi Lemos de Castro, 
1958 by the similarities of telson and uro- 
pods, but the uropod endopod is compar- 
atively shorter than in these two species. 
Benthana iporangensis differs from Ben- 
thana longipenis and Benthana santosi by 
having: a) head as wide as large with rela- 
tively small eyes; b) second antennae con- 
siderably shorter; c) maxillula with the outer 
spine not ctenate and medium sized; d) 
maxillipeds with different numbers of spines 
on endite and palp; e) first male pleopods 
by the position of setae, shape of the den- 
tiform expansion of the exopodite and by 
length and width of endopodite: f) second 
male pleopods by the exopodite without se- 
tae and by the different shape of endopodite: 
it also differs in the position of the "noduli 
laterales." 
The three related species have been re- 
corded from the same southern part of Bra- 
496 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 
zil (Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas 
Gerais). 
Acknowledgments 
We are thankful to Dr. Eleonora Trajano 
(Departamento de Zoologia, Institute de 
Biociencias, Universidade de Sao Paulo) 
who gave the material for study. 
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