Parepactophanes, KUNZ, 1935

Karaytuǧ, Süphan & Huys, Rony, 2004, Taxonomic position of and generic distinction between Parepactophanes Kunz, 1935 and Taurocletodes Kunz, 1975 (Copepoda, Canthocamptidae incertae sedis), with description of a new species from the Black Sea, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 140 (4), pp. 469-486 : 483

GENUS PAREPACTOPHANES KUNZ, 1935

Diagnosis: Canthocamptidae . Small-sized (<0.5 mm). Body cylindrical, prosome hardly wider than urosome. Anal operculum multispinose (bare in ♂?). Nauplius eye present. Rostrum short and blunt. Antennule 6-segmented in ♀, with aesthetasc on segment 3 (and most likely as part of acrothek on segment 6); all elements setiform and bare; subchirocer in ♂. Antenna with allobasis bearing one abexopodal seta; exopod 1- segmented, bisetose. Mandible with 1-segmented palp bearing four setae. Maxillule and maxilla unconfirmed. Maxilliped subchelate, syncoxa with seta, basis unarmed, endopod drawn out into claw. P1 with 3-segmented exopod and 2-segmented endopod; exp-2 without inner seta; enp-2 with unmodified setae; endopod as long as exopod. P2–P 4 ♀ short and robust, with 3-segmented exopods and 1-segmented endopods. Exopods with one outer spine on exp-3; without sexual dimorphism; P4 exp-3 inner seta present. Endopods P2 and P4 not sexually dimorphic; ♂ P3 endopod (in)completely 2-segmented; drawn out into slender apophysis, without inner seta on enp-1. P1–P4 armature formula as follows:

Exopod Endopod

Fifth pair of legs medially free in ♀, presumably fused in ♂. Exopod and baseoendopod fused in both sexes. Exopodal lobe with four elements in ♀, five in ♂. Endopodal lobe with two spines and two setae in ♀, with two setae in ♂. Genital field in ♀ and sixth legs in ♂ unconfirmed. Caudal rami about as long as wide; setae IV- V well developed .

Type and only species: Parepactophanes minuta Kunz, 1935 (by monotypy).

Remarks: Kunz (1935) noted sexual dimorphism in the anal operculum, being multispinose in the female and bare in the male. He also suggested that eggs were laid freely in sediment (as in the Darcythompsoniidae ) since no egg-sacs were observed despite the ovaries being fully mature. Both observations require confirmation.