Ravania, Harris, 2014

Harris, Vernon A., 2014, Porcellidiidae of Australia (Harpacticoida, Copepoda). II. The Importance of the Male Antennule in Taxonomy, Records of the Australian Museum 66 (2), pp. 111-166 : 112

Genus Ravania gen. nov.

Porcellidium .—Thompson & Scott, 1903: 275.—Wells & Rao, 1987: 29; Bodin, 1997: 65; Walker-Smith, 2001: 656; Wells, 2007: 79.

Type species. Ravania wellsi sp. nov.

Diagnosis. Male antennule segment 3 with single denticle at base of anterior process (not comb-like), segment 4 with two tooth-like coupling denticles, no brush-pad or denticulate pad present; anterior of male cephalosome semicircular in outline (not truncated), rostrum oval in ventral view; female cephalosome not truncated; female caudal ramus not rectangular, T1 lateral, posterior border between T1 and T4 rounded or obliquely convex; terminal seta T2 always present, T3 always absent from male and female caudal ramus; female genital double-somite short, narrow (about 1/2 width of cephalosome), pointed posteriorly, not clearly divided into anterior and posterior lobes; maxillule endopod with six setae; coxal lobes of maxillipeds touch in midline; female P5 exopods without ventral expansion, extend beyond genital double-somite, but do not touch posteriorly; male P5 trapezoid with one lateral and five terminal setae; spermatophore elongate, ephemeral on female, multiple insemination does not occur.

Species composition. Ravania ravanae (Thompson & Scott, 1903) comb. nov.; Ravania wellsi sp. nov.; R. doliocauda sp. nov.

Members of genus known from Indian Ocean ( Sri Lanka), sub-tropical coast of Queensland and northern coast of NSW, Australia.

Etymology. The specific name ravanae has been raised to generic rank as Ravania (feminine).

Remarks. The arrangement of denticles on the male antennule, rounded anterior to male cephalosome, shape of the female genital double-somite and caudal ramus which lacks T3 are features that distinguish Ravania from Porcellidium and Acutiramus . From the re-description of Wells and Rao (1987) it is clear that Porcellidium ravanae belongs to Ravania and should be renamed Ravania ravanae (Thompson & Scott, 1903) comb. nov.

The description by Wells and Rao (1987) lacks important information about the male antennule and their illustration labelled “female P4” appears to be the male limb, however, it is clear that R. ravanae and R. wellsi are two distinct species. They differ in the following important details: R. ravanae has a small patch of setules on anterior lobe of mandibular palp, border setules on anterior lobe of female genital doublesomite, T2 on the caudal ramus is very short and the male P2 endopod has three terminal setae.