A new species of the genus Ctenapseudes Bamber, Ariyananda et Silva, 1997 (Tanaidacea: Parapseudidae) from the Cần Giờ mangrove area in South Vietnam

A new species of the genus Ctenapseudes Bamber, Ariyananda et Silva, 1997 (Tanaidacea: Parapseudidae) is described from the deep mangrove swamps of the Cần Giờ Biosphere Reserve in South Vietnam.The new species is closely related to Ctenapseudes sapensis (Chilton, 1926), known from the Upper Songkhla Lagoon in Thailand (Siam Bay), but can be well separated from this species and other congeners by the features of the antennular flagellum, maxilliped, cheliped and pereopods.The calculated density of this species, which is about 1,323±189 inds/m 2 and the observed label of stable isotopes δ 13 C/δ 15 N, suggests that these tanaidaceans are among the most abundant primary consumers (C1) in the studied lagoon, probably feeding on the leaves of the mangrove Rhizophora apiculata Blume (Rhizophoraceae).The article also discusses the diversity, the role in trophic interactions and ecological impact of tanaidaceans in mangrove habitat.