Pseudobalucopsylla costaricensis, Mu & Huys, 2021

Mu, Fanghong & Huys, Rony, 2021, A new species of Helmutkunzia Wells & Rao, 1976 from an intertidal sandy beach in Xiamen, China and proposal of Pseudobalucopsylla gen. nov. (Copepoda Harpacticoida, Miraciidae), Zootaxa 5051 (1), pp. 487-505 : 501-502

Pseudobalucopsylla costaricensis sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F7FA7534-3C9C-4600-8D49-3FC0E842172C

Balucopsylla triarticulata Wells & Rao, 1987 sensu Mielke (1994: 56–57 , Fig. 1 )

Differential diagnosis. Pseudobalucopsylla . Body length 360–550 μm (♀), 380–480 μm (♂). Rostrum, mandibular exopod and P4 not documented. P5 exopod ♀ rectangular, inner and outer margins virtually straight, 2.5 times as long as maximum width; innermost element setiform and minutely bipinnate. P5 endopodal lobe ♀ extending beyond middle of exopod; both distal elements setiform and plumose, inner one 1.3 times length of outer one; distal inner element spiniform and bipinnate; proximal inner spine unipectinate, massive and originating on posterior surface of endopodal lobe. P5 exopod ♂ distal inner seta (= 2 nd from inner margin) 3.6 times length of proximal inner seta; endopodal lobe ♂ extending beyond middle of exopod. Caudal ramus seta III unconfirmed; sexual dimorphism in size not recorded.

Type material. The female specimen illustrated by Mielke (1994) in his Fig. 1A–C is here designated as the holotype of P. costaricensis sp. nov. ( ICZN Arts 16.4 and 72.5.6) .

Type locality. Costa Rica, Pacific coast, Gulf of Nicoya, Punta Morales; sandy beach, white and coarse sand with high detritus content; surface water temperature above 25°C; salinity about 32‰; mean tidal range 2.3 m .

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to Costa Rica where the type locality is situated.

Notes. Mielke (1994) reported variability in the relative length of P1 enp-1. Specimens with a long endopod (with enp-1 extending beyond the distal margin of exp-3) usually have an inner seta on P2–P4 enp-3. As Mielke suggested himself this may be indicative of the presence of two species in his samples.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Helmutkunzia xiamenensis sp. nov. (♀): A, habitus, dorsal; (B) habitus, lateral; (C) posterior part of penultimate somite, anal somite and caudal rami, dorsal; (D) posterior part of anal somite and caudal rami, ventral; (E) genital field, ventral.