A new genus of Parastenocarididae is described from the Neotropical region. Iticocaris gen. nov. is established to accommodate Parastenocaris itica originally described into the genus Parastenocaris. The new genus Iticocaris can easily be defined by the following characters: 1) male leg 3 with 2-segmented exopod; 2) first exopodal segment short and rectangular; 3) thumb hypertrophc, longer than the second exopodal segment and inserted on the distal edge of expod segment 1, expanded on the whole segment surface; 4) exopod 2 or apophysis strongly sclerotized, articulated with the exopod segment 1 on its inner margin and curved against the thumb, forming a strong forceps; 5) leg 4 endopod without dimorphism in shape and size vs. minor dimorphism in ornamentation; 6) leg 5 with 3 setae and 7) lack of the anterolateral seta II of furca. The new genus is monotypic, represented by Iticocaris itica (Noodt, 1962) gen. et comb. nov., from El Salvador, Central America. A close relationship is hypothesized between Iticocaris itica and the genus Brasilibathynellocaris, the males of which both share the forceps-like elongated apophysis and thumb of male leg 3 as a putative synapomorphy.