Cypricercus inermis ( Brady, 1904 )

Savatenalinton, Sukonthip & Martens, Koen, 2009, Redescription of the type species of Strandesia Stuhlmann, 1888 and Cypricercus Sars, 1895 (Crustacea, Ostracoda, Cypricercinae), with a description of a new species of Cypricercus from South Africa, Zootaxa 2007, pp. 1-42 : 11-13

Cypricercus inermis ( Brady, 1904)

( Figs 5 E–H, 6)

Cypris inermis Brady, 1904: 125 .

Eucypris inermis ( Brady, 1904) — Daday, 1910: 167. Tanycypris inermis ( Brady, 1904) — McKenzie, 1971: 172. Cypricerus inermis ( Brady, 1904) — Martens, 2001: 62.

Material examined. Type material (c. 200 specimens) from Hancock museum: “ Cypricercus inermis n. sp. ”, Greytown, Natal, W. Gibson (no number).

Lectotype (here designated): a female, with soft parts dissected in glycerine in a sealed slide and valves stored dry in a micropalaeontological slide (no. SS485—because of refurbishing of the Hanconck Museum, it was impossible to obtain new catalog numbers)

Paralectotypes: all other syntypes from this sample become paralectotypes: SS486–489.

Type locality: Greytown, Natal, collected by W. Gibson

Other material examined: Kangela farm vlei, Mtubatuba, KN ( RSA 056/94) (Coordinates: 28° 22ˏ 01˝ S and 32° 11ˏ 36˝ E), collected by K. Martens, M. Hamer & M. Coke, 25 October 1994.

Pool in small river near St. Lucia, False Bay, KN ( RSA 068/94) (Coordinates: 28° 0 0ˏ 55˝ S and 32° 21ˏ 50˝ E), collected by K. Martens, M. Hamer & M. Coke, 26 October 1994.

Glenora Tarn, Kwamehlenyati, KN ( RSA 028/95) (Coordinates: 29° 28ˏ 40˝ S and 29° 36ˏ 24˝ E), collected by K. Martens & M. Hamer, 24 March 1995.

Wallow-type, grassy pool, Kruger National Park (LEN 104) (Coordinates: 25° 0 2ˏ 00˝ S and 32° 0 1ˏ 00˝ E), collected by M. Hamer, 5 November 1990.

Measurements (from additional material, in μ m). Female: LV (n=2), L = 973.5, H = 455; RV (n=2), L = 970.5, H = 445.5; W = 397.7. Male: LV (n=2), L = 1110, H = 469.5; RV (n=2), L = 1090, H = 471.

Abbreviated description. Carapace in lateral view ( Fig 6 A) elongated, narrow (length c. 2.4 times height); anterior margin rounded, posterior margin bluntly pointed. Carapace in dorsal view ( Fig 6 B) elongated, narrow, oblong; LV anteriorly considerably longer than RV; RV slightly longer than LV posteriorly. LV also overlapping RV ventrally. No significant difference in size between male and female.

LV in inner view ( Fig 6 C) with a continuous groove along valve margin, anterior part with 1 inner list, valve margin broadly rounded; inner lamella slightly reticulated. RV in lateral view with anterior selvage submarginal, posterior selvage clear ( Fig 6 D) and therefore posterior margin of RV with broad flange.

External valve surface set with shallow pits and thin setae.

Rome organ on A1 short, tube-like. A2 with penultimate segment undivided.

α-seta on Md-palp distinctively segmented (segmented point c. one-third of its length). T1 with a-, b-, dsetae in the female. In males, right prehensile palp ( Fig 5 F) with triangular lobe, 2 apical spines; left palp ( Fig 5 E) with elongated, curved lobe, 2 apical spines and a few small knobs. T2 with d1 c. twice the length of d2. Caudal ramus stout, ventral margin set with 4 groups of setulae, claws finely serrated, distal seta longer than proximal claw, shorter than distal claw; attachment of the caudal ramus with Triebel’s loop in the middle branch.

Hemipenis ( Fig 5 G) with lateral shield subtriangular, its distal end elongated, medial shield rounded, main body medially with 2 loops of spermiduct (1 big, 1 small), penile attachment symmetrical, situated at the proximal connected bases.

Zenker’s organ ( Fig 5 H) considerably long (length c. 3.5 times the width), set with c. 22 spiny whorls, distal end plate forming a crown of petal-like structure.

Differential diagnosis. Cypricercus inermis belongs to a group of species in Cypricercus without posterior protuberance. This group also comprises two other species: C. cuneatus and C. maculatus . Cypricercus inermis is rather similar to C. cuneatus , but can be distinguished from it by the appearance of the unequal posterior valve margins, by the features of the caudal ramus and attachment and by the morphology of the hemipenis and the Zenker’s organ.

Remark: the status of this species is discussed here and its morphology redescribed in order to make clear that it is not synonymous with C. cuneatus , the type species of this genus. One of the main purposes of the present paper is indeed to characterize the morphology of C. cuneatus and its taxonomical position.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Cypricercus cuneatus Sars, 1895, male (A – D) and Cypricercus inermis (Brady, 1904), male (E – H). A. Left prehensile palp (SS 469). B. Right prehensile palp (ditto). C. Hemipenis (ditto). D. Zenker’s organ (ditto). E. Left prehensile palp (O. C. 3081). F. Right prehensile palp (ditto). G. Hemipenis (ditto). H. Zenker’s organ (O. C. 3082). Scale bars: A – B, E – F: 50 µm; C – D, G – H: 100 µm.

FIGURE 6. Cypricercus inermis (Brady, 1904), female. A. Carapace, right lateral view (MSU-ZOC 015). B. Carapace, dorsal view (MSU-ZOC 016). C. LV, internal view (O. C. 3091). D. RV, internal view (ditto). Scale bars: 200 µm.