Prosocratus carolinae sp. nov. from the Great Barrier Reef is described. It is very similar to the South Australian species Prosocratus butcheri Barnard & Drummond, 1982, but differs in male gnathopod 1 characters. Additionally the Cheirocratidae is rediagnosed. The cheirocratids were first mentioned as a complex of genera by Barnard & Barnard (1983), but a formal description of a family Cheirocratidae was not done at that time. Karaman (1985) devoted a paper to the ''Cheirocratus complex". By that time the following genera were included: Casco Shoemaker, 1930; Cheirocratella Stephensen, 1940; Cheirocratus Norman, 1867; Degocheirocratus G. Karaman, 1985; Incratella Barnard & Drummond, 1982; Prosocratus Barnard & Drummond, 1982. Ren (2006) used for the first time the family name Cheirocratidae and diagnosed it. We rediagnose the family here.
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