Praxillinicola M’Intosh, 1885

Huys, Rony, 2016, Enigmas from the past: M’Intosh’s (1885) annelidicolous copepods from the voyage of H. M. S. Challenger, Zootaxa 4174 (1), pp. 355-385 : 366

Praxillinicola M’Intosh, 1885

Generic diagnosis (based on ♀ only). Body elongate, dorsoventrally depressed; consisting of cephalosome and indistinctly 5-segmented postcephalosomic trunk. Cephalosome bell-shaped, separated from trunk by transverse membranous zone dorsally and ventrally; rostral projection rounded, fused at base. Postcephalosomic trunk probably consisting of four thoracic prosomites and undivided urosome; original somitic boundaries indicated by bilateral constrictions and transverse membranous zones dorsally and laterally. Prosomites limbless, forming continuous unadorned sole ventrally. Urosome 1-segmented, short, with paired dorsolateral genital apertures near posterolateral corners and paired midventral copulatory pores. Anal operculum absent; anal slit positioned middorsally in anterior half of urosome. Caudal rami absent.

Ventral surface of cephalosome with paired anterior sockets containing vestigial antennules and antennae. Antennule 1-segmented, bilobate; outer lobe with strong bipectinate claw; inner lobe with two short spines. Antenna 2-segmented, comprising coxobasis and 1-segmented endopod; coxobasis unarmed; endopod with spinular pad around apex and two small spines. Labrum produced into paired hook-like projections. Paragnaths, mandibles, maxillules and maxillae absent. Maxillipeds comprising robust protopod and 2-segmented endopod; protopod unarmed, with large spinous process on anterior surface; enp-1 unarmed; enp-2 with spinular pad around apex and two short spines.

Legs 1–6 absent.

Type and only species. Praxillinicola kroyeri M’Intosh, 1885 (by original designation).