Graptoleberis

Elías-Gutiérrez, Manuel, Kotov, Alexey A. & Garfias-Espejo, Tania, 2006, Cladocera (Crustacea: Ctenopoda, Anomopoda) from southern Mexico, Belize and northern Guatemala, with some biogeographical notes, Zootaxa 1119, pp. 1-27 : 17

Graptoleberis sp. (Figs. 50–53)

Material examined: Eight females from Silvituc and Galeana sinkholes ( Mexico).

Body elongate, with posterior margin more or less straight. Posteroventral corner with three denticles and ca. 90 setae, the ones in first two thirds larger than those in posterior third. Valves strongly reticulated (Fig. 50). Rostrum widely semicircular, covering partially the antennules. Head shield also strongly reticulated with main head pores connected and lateral head pores heart­shaped, also connected to the central main pore (Fig. 51). Postabdomen narrowing distally with anal spines not forming groups, only in some cases two spines are closely placed (Fig. 52), and lateral seta forming groups. Postabdominal claws with a basal spine, and a row of spinules at concave side. Convex side with three denticles inserted in the distal third (Fig. 53).

This genus was previously reported from Mexico by Juday (1915) but after this no records have been published (Elías­Gutiérrez et al., 1999). The most recent studies on Graptoleberis are by Hudec (1988) who suggested that G. testudinaria (Fischer) is actually a species complex, not only subspecies as it was proposed by Smirnov (1971) and Radzimovski (1982). Venkataraman (1999) assigned his material from India to G. testudinaria , but the description was poor. The material examined in this study is different from the only taxon of this genus described from South America, G. testudinaria occidentalis Sars, 1901 .