Intrepidocythere, Pinto, Ricardo L., Rocha, Carlos E. F. & Martens, Koen, 2008

Pinto, Ricardo L., Rocha, Carlos E. F. & Martens, Koen, 2008, On the first terrestrial ostracod of the Superfamily Cytheroidea (Crustacea, Ostracoda): description of Intrepidocythere ibipora n. gen. n. sp. from forest leaf litter in São Paulo State, Brazil, Zootaxa 1828, pp. 29-42 : 31

Genus Intrepidocythere n.gen.

Type species (here designated): Intrepidocythere ibipora n.gen. n.sp.

Etymology. This genus is named for the courage of its ancestors, who feared not to leave the freshwater habitat, venturing into the forest soil. The Latin word intrepidus means undaunted, brave, from in -, “not” + trepidus, “anxious, disturbed”.

Diagnosis. Brownish, smooth, small carapace; left valve larger than right valve; males subquadrate in external lateral view, females somewhat rounded; in dorsal and ventral views, males with greatest width located at midlength, females with posterior part expanded into a brood pouch containing eggs and greatest width displaced posteriorly; hemipenis with fusion of several structures (including the copulatory process and the triangular distal lobe); antennule with 5 functional articles, the first one bearing a subapical expansion with a tuft of tiny setules on the dorsal margin; in males, antenna with 2 serrated apical claws on the terminal segment (no such serration in females); terminal segment of antenna with a small lobe (hyaline formation) in both males and females.

Comparisons. Intrepidocythere n. gen. is closely related to Elpidium F. Müller, 1880 , a genus thus far only known from water impounded in bromeliads ( Müller 1880; Tressler 1941, 1956; Pinto & Purper 1970; Danielopol 1975; Colin & Danielopol 1980; Little & Hebert 1996). Both genera can easily be distinguished by their limb morphology, despite their noticeable overall similarity. The main differences are the much more complex hemipenis of Intrepidocythere n. gen., with fusion of several structures (including the copulatory process and the distal lobe), and the number of serrated apical claws on the male terminal segment of the antenna (two in Intrepidocythere n. gen. and only one in Elpidium ). Elpidium has spatuliform endites on the maxillula, while Intrepidocythere n. gen. has spiniform endites. Differences between the two genera become more numerous when their carapaces are compared: Intrepidocythere n. gen. is smaller in overall body size; Elpidium is much broader in dorsal view ( Intrepidocythere n. gen. is more compressed laterally); Elpidium has a small gap on the anteroventral part of the carapace, even when valves are tightly closed (absent in Intrepidocythere n. gen.). The two genera have different hinge structures: Intrepidocythere n. gen. has a smooth medial ridge and a posterior socket in left valve and the complementary smooth medial groove and posterior tooth in right valve; Elpidium has a long ridge in right valve that forms a rudimentary anterior tooth and a crenulated posterior tooth, and has the complementary structures in left valve.