Pseudobalucopsylla mielkei, 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 : 502

Pseudobalucopsylla mielkei sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F464DE15-6814-460B-A0EC-E2DF1A1B7126

Balucopsylla? triarticulata Wells & Rao, 1987 sensu Mielke (1997: 146–150 ; Figs. 20–22)

Differential diagnosis. Pseudobalucopsylla . Body length unknown. Rostrum reaching to about middle of second antennulary segment. Distal segment of mandibular exopod with one plumose and three naked setae. P1 exopod about as long as enp-1. P4 enp-1 inner seta plumose in proximal half and bipinnate in distal half, reaching beyond distal margin of enp-2. P5 exopod ♀ oval, twice as long as maximum width; innermost element setiform and minutely bipinnate. P5 endopodal lobe ♀ not extending to middle of exopod; inner distal element bipinnate, about 1.5 times length of outer bipinnate one; distal inner element spiniform and bipinnate; proximal inner spine unipectinate and marginally set on posterior surface of endopodal lobe. P5 exopod ♂ distal inner seta (= 2 nd from inner margin) 2.5 times length of proximal inner seta; endopodal lobe ♂ extending to about middle of exopod. Caudal ramus seta III spiniform and bulbous; sexually dimorphic, being larger in ♂.

Type material. The female specimen illustrated by Mielke (1997: Fig. 20; 21–B, D; 22A–C) is here designated as the holotype of P. mielkei sp. nov. ( ICZN Arts 16.4 and 72.5.6) .

Type locality. Ecuador, Galápagos Archipelago, sandy beach. Although the species was recorded from eight different islands the type locality cannot be specified further since Mielke (1997) did not disclose the origin of the female specimen(s) depicted in his Figs. 20–22 .

Etymology. The species is dedicated to Wolfgang Mielke, formerly at the II. Zoologisches Institut und Museum der Universität Göttingen, in recognition of his numerous contributions to the harpacticoid fauna of the Galápagos, the type region of the new species.

Notes. According to Mielke’s (1997: Fig. 20F) illustration the maxillipedal endopod is 2-segmented; in reality the small proximal “segment” is probably a membranous insert connecting the endopod to the basis. Considerable variability was reported in the relative length of swimming leg setae and some aberrant specimens showed supernumerary setae (e.g. on P4 enp-2) or lacked particular setae (e.g. on P5 exopod ♂). Although some individuals share the 021 pattern on P2–P4 enp-3 with other members of the genus, the majority show an additional inner seta (121) on all endopods; Occasionally, the 121 condition was only observed in P2 or both patterns were exhibited in the same leg pair (left–right asymmetry). The species is so far known only from the Galápagos Archipelago where it is widely distributed in sandy beaches of most islands including Baltra, Barrington, Fernandina, Hood, Isabela, San Cristobál, Santa Cruz and Tower ( Mielke 1997, 2003).