Apistophonte Gheerardyn and Fiers

Gheerardyn, Hendrik, Fiers, Frank, Vincx, Magda & Troch, Marleen De, 2006, Two new genera of Laophontidae (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) without sexual dimorphism in the endopods of the swimming legs, Zootaxa 1327, pp. 41-62 : 43

Genus Apistophonte Gheerardyn and Fiers gen. n.

Diagnosis. Laophontidae . Body fusiform prehensile. Rostrum prominent. Integument of cephalothorax and somites pitted. Posterodorsal margin of prosomites, urosomites and anal operculum serrate. Ventral surface of third male urosomite with several short rows of long spinules. Caudal rami cylindrical without dorsal processes. Female antennule 6­ segmented; first segment short, nearly quadrate; bearing small, blunt process along the outer margin. Second segment with distinct, posteriorly directed hook along the outer margin. Syncoxa of maxilla with 3 endites. P1 with 2­segmented exopod and endopod. Swimming legs P2–P4 with 3­segmented exopods and 2­segmented endopods; without sexual dimorphism except for a curved, stronger outer spine on exp­2 of the male P3. Chaetotaxy of the ultimate exopodal segments of P2–P4: 122, 222 and 222. Endopodal lobe of female P5 reaching to middle of exopod, bearing 4 setae. Exopod of female P5 ovate, bearing 5 setae. Male P5 baseoendopod obsolete, without endopodal seta; exopod small, bearing 3 setae.

Type species. Apistophonte wasiniensis gen. n. sp. n., monotypy.

Etymology. The generic name is a conjunction of apistos (Greek meaning treacherous, perfidious) and the suffix – phonte, and refers to the superficial and misleading resemblance of the genus to Propephonte gen. n. (gender feminine).

The above diagnosis coincides with that of its only known and type species, and must, therefore, be considered tentative. A differential diagnosis is presented in the discussion.