Penicillicaris pectinimana ( Car, 1884 ) Huys, Rony & Mu, Fanghong, 2021

Huys, Rony & Mu, Fanghong, 2021, Johnwellsia, a new intertidal genus of Parastenheliidae (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) from the Taiwan Strait, China, including a review of the family and key to genera, Zootaxa 5051 (1), pp. 236-318 : 298

Penicillicaris pectinimana ( Car, 1884) comb. nov.

Thalestris pectinimana Car, 1884

Microthalestris forficula ( Claus, 1863) sensu Monard (1928)

Parastenhelia spinosa ( Fischer, 1860) f. penicillata sensu Bodin (1964)

Lang (1948: 497, 588) considered Thalestris pectinimana a junior subjective synonym of Parastenhelia spinosa and, based on P5 morphology, identified it with the form previously described as Microthalestris littoralis f. penicillata by Willey (1935).Although Car’s (1884) illustrations are fragmentary, comparison with Monard’s (1928) description of his Microthalestris forficula material from Banyuls-sur-Mer leaves little doubt that both belong to the same species. Evidence in support of this conspecificity is found in the 8-segmented ♀ antennule, the surface ornamentation of the maxillipedal basis, ornamentation of elements on P1 enp-2 and the foliaceous P 5 ♀. It is conceivable that Bodin’s (1964: 128) material of Parastenhelia spinosa var. penicillata from Marseille also belongs to this species. Other Mediterranean records from the Gulf of Genoa ( Brian 1921 – as Microthalestris littoralis ) and Rovinj in Croatia ( Zavodnik 1969 – as P. spinosa var. penicillata ) potentially refer to Pe. pectinimana comb. nov. but must remain indeterminable in the absence of compelling morphological evidence.

Original description. Car (1884): 248–249; Plate XVIII, Figs 1 –8.

Additional descriptions. Monard (1928): 348–349; fig. XVIII (as Microthalestris forficula ). Bodin (1964): 128–129; Plate III, fig. 15 (as Parastenhelia spinosa var. penicillata ).

Type locality. Italy, Trieste (Adriatic); plankton .

Differential diagnosis. Penicillicaris . Body length 650–800 μm [according to Monard (1928) but sex not specified; sometimes markedly smaller (350 μm!)]. Antennule 8-segmented in ♀.Antenna with 2-segmented exopod bearing two setae on exp-1 and two lateral and three apical elements on exp-2. Mandibular armature unconfirmed. Maxilliped with one seta on syncoxa and basis. P1 exp-3 with two penicillate spines, one geniculate seta and one short non-geniculate seta. P1 enp-1 about 1.15 times length of exopod. Armature pattern of ♀ P2–P4:

P3 endopod ♂ 3-segmented, with apophysis on enp-3, armature pattern [1.1.02 + apo]. P 5 ♀ exopod about 2.15 times as long as maximum width; inner and outer margins gradually converging towards apex; with 6–7 elements. P5 endopodal lobe ♀ short, extending to about proximal fifth of exopodal length. P5 exopod ♂ 1-segmented, elongate–oval; with seven elements. P5 endopodal lobe ♂ extending to insertion point of proximal inner seta of exopod; with two elements. Caudal ramus setae IV– V of ♀ inflated near base (forcipate type) .

Notes. Car (1884) was the first to note the presence of a single egg sac in a member of the Parastenheliidae . Monard (1928) observed variability in the number of setae on the P5 exopod of the female, with six elements being the typical condition and seven (as in Car’s description) the rare one. The species is so far restricted to the western Mediterranean (Banyuls-sur-Mer, Marseille, Trieste).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Johnwellsia bipartita gen. et sp. nov. (♀): A, habitus, lateral; B, same, dorsal; C, caudal ramus, dorsal; D, same, lateral; E, same, ventral.