A new species of Neaxius Borradaile, 1903 from the Gulf of Guinea (Crustacea, Decapoda, Thalassinidea, Strahlaxiidae)

The genus Neaxius Borradaile, 1903 of the family Strahlaxiidae Poore, 1994 includes five species. A new species, N. mclaughlinae n. sp., from the Gulf of Guinea, and the first record of the genus from the Atlantic, is herein presented. The new species is similar to N. vivesi (Bouvier, 1895) in having the lateral carinae of the gastric region bearing teeth on the anterior part; the second article of the antennal peduncle with upper and lateral spines; the telson approximately as broad as long with three carinae the distal one being well apart from the posterior border. The new species can be differentiated from N. vivesi by the unarmed upper border of the carpus and propodus of pereopod 1 as well as the unarmed lower border of the merus of pereopod 2 (all borders have spines in N. vivesi); the telson carinae straight and of the same length (distal carina shorter than the others in N. vivesi). Differentiating characters of the six species of Neaxius are presented.