Propephonte 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 : 50-51

Genus Propephonte Gheerardyn and Fiers gen. n.

Diagnosis. Laophontidae . Body fusiform prehensile, slightly depressed. Rostrum prominent. Integument of cephalothorax and somites pitted. Posterodorsal margin of prosomites, urosomites and anal operculum serrate. Ventral surface of third male urosomite with rows of large spinules. Caudal rami cylindrical without dorsal processes. Female antennule 6­segmented; first segment distinctly elongate, with a blunt process proximally on the dorsal surface and a distinct process along the outer margin; second segment with a large, posteriorly directed hook along the outer margin. Syncoxa of maxilla with 2 endites. P1 with a 2­segmented exopod. Swimming legs P2–P4 with 3­segmented exopods and 2­segmented endopods; without sexual dimorphism. 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, with endopodal seta; exopod bearing 5 setae.

Type species.— Propephonte duangitensis gen. n. sp. n., monotypy.

Etymology.—The generic name is a conjunction of prope (Latin meaning close, almost) and the suffix – phonte, and refers to the close relationship of the genus with Peltidiphonte Gheerardyn and Fiers, 2006 (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.