A NEW SPECIES OF BREVITALITRUS (CRUSTACEA, AMPHIPODA, TALITRIDAE) FROM MAURITIUS - FIRST RECORD OF THE GENUS FROM THE INDIAN-OCEAN

A new species of landhopper (Amphipoda, Talitridae), Brevitalitrus str inatii n. sp., is described from a lava cave on the island of Mauritiu s (Indian Ocean). It has been compared with paratypes of B. hortulanus (Calman), the type-species of the genus Brevitalitrus, and with Trans vaal topotypes of Talitriator eastwoodae Methuen, the type-species of the genus Talitriator. On the basis of this comparison, the new specie s is placed in Brevitalitrus rather than in Talitriator, and Brevitali trus is removed from the simplidactylate to the cuspidactylate Talitri dae. The new species is the first representative of Brevitalitrus reco rded from an Indian Ocean island.