Macrobrachium empulipke, a new freshwater prawn species (Decapoda, Palaemonidae) from Indonesia

Macrobrachium empulipke sp. nov., a palaemonid freshwater prawn, is described from Indonesia. The new species belongs to the Macrobrachium pilimanus species group, but can easily be distinguished from M. pilimanus (De Man, 1879) by the presence of longer and more prominent rostral teeth, a slightly inflated merus of the second pereiopods, a medially depressed epistome, and narrowly separated anterior lobes of T8. It can be differentiated from M. leptodactylus (De Man, 1892) by having shorter carpi of the second periopods and the inner distal margin of which is without a tuft of short velvety setae, and a small median process of third abdominal sternite. The new species is also superficially similar to M. eriocheirum Dai , 1984, but it can be recognized by more closely spaced postorbital tooth, and more elongate major second pereiopod chelae with longer fingers. Keywords:freshwater prawn; Indonesia; Macrobrachium empulipke ; palaemonid