Cubaris iriomotensis, a junior synonym of the pantropical species Cubaris murina (Crustacea: Isopoda: Oniscidea)

Abstract

This study was conducted to reassess the taxonomic status of Cubaris iriomotensis (Nunomura, 1990). Type series from Iriomotejima Island, southern Ryukyu in Japan, and new specimens collected from Iriomotejima and Ishigakijima Islands were examined. Taxonomic assessment of the specimens included detailed morphological observations using a scanning electronic microscope (SEM). Specimens from the two islands closely correspond with the morphology of C. murina Brandt, 1833, a species widely distributed in the tropics. Thus, C. iriomotensis can be regarded as a synonym of C. murina.