Creopelates Shiino, 1958

Uyeno, Daisuke, 2015, Systematic revision of the pennellid genus Creopelates Shiino, 1958 (Copepoda: Siphonostomatoida) and the proposal of a new genus, Zootaxa 3904 (3), pp. 359-386 : 360

Genus Creopelates Shiino, 1958

Creopelates: Shiino, 1958 , p. 92

Diagnosis of postmetamorphic adult female. Body long, comprising cephalothorax, elongate neck region and trunk; junction of neck and trunk curved. Cephalothorax bearing paired globular antennary processes and paired posterolateral lobes; rostrum convex. Neck region narrow, fringed with finely digitate lobes arranged in more than one pair. Trunk pyriform, longer than wide, with anterior end narrowing towards neck region. Abdomen conical, without brush-like processes; located between oviducal pores. Egg-sac uniseriate, coiled or in single plane.

Antennule unsegmented, bearing about 28 setae and one distal aesthetasc; 2 of distal setae sharing common base. Antenna 3-segmented, chelate, typical pennellid shaped; proximal segment unarmed or bearing distal projection; middle segment bearing pointed protrusions along inner medial margin, terminal segment claw-like with small basal element on posterior surface. Mouth tube, maxillule, and maxilla located near base of antenna on anterior part of ventral surface of cephalothorax. Maxillule bilobate; lobes bearing one or two elements on tip. Maxilla 2-segmented; proximal segment bearing single subterminal pointed process; terminal segment incompletely subdivided bearing tip covered with small spinules. Maxilliped absent.

Legs 1 and 2 biramous, situated on posterior part of cephalothorax and second pediger. Legs 3 and 4 uniramous, situated on third pediger and distal part of neck, respectively. Armature formula of legs 1–4 as follows:

Protopod Exopod Endopod Leg 1 1–1 1–1; 7 0–1; 7 Leg 2 1–0 1–1; 7 0–1; 7 Leg 3 1–0 0–0; 6 Absent Leg 4 1/0–0 0–0; 5 Absent Adult male. Unknown.

Type species. Creopelates floridus Shiino, 1958

Remarks. Creopelates is clearly distinguishable from other pennellid genera by the general body shape of postmetamorphic female which comprises the cephalothorax with paired globular antennary processes and paired posterolateral lobes, the elongate neck region with at least one pair of lobes with digitate fringes, and the pyriform trunk bearing abdomen without brush-like processes.