ONE NEW SPECIES OF A NEW GENUS, KUWAITUPOGEBIA GEN. NOV., IN A NEW FAMILY, KUWAITUPOGEBIIDAE FAM. NOV., FROM KUWAIT, AND TWO NEW SPECIES OF THE GENUS UPOGEBIA FROM THE RED SEA (DECAPODA, THALASSINIDEA).
The infraorder Thalassinidea Latreille, 1831 [sensu stricto] includes three families: Thalassinidae Latreille, 1831; Upogebiidae Borradaile, 1903; and Laomediidae De Haan, 1849 (cf. Sakai & Sawada, 2006). However, recent examination of material from Kuwait in the Pershian Gulf, showed the occurence of a new species, Kuwaitupogebia nithyanandan gen. et sp. nov., and this has made it possible to establish a new family, Kuwaitupogebiidae fam. nov., based on that new genus. The genus Upogebia Leach, 1814 is known to include nine species from the Red Sea area, yet herein two new species, Upogebia spongicola sp. nov. from the Reef at Hurghada, Red Sea, Egypt, and Upogebia jizanensis sp. nov. from off Jizan, Saudi Arabia, Red Sea, can be added, based on material lodged in the collections of the museum in Frankfurt a. M.