Two new species of benthopelagic Stephos (Copepoda, Calanoida, Stephidae) from Korea

By

Moon, Seong Yong
Youn, Suk Hyun
Venmathi Maran, B. A.

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2015

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

495

Pages

21-40

Subjects

benthopelagic , commensal , intertidal mud-flat , Korea , new species , Stephos

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.495.7862

 

Abstract

Two new species of benthopelagic copepods of the genus Stephos T. Scott, 1892, belonging to the family Stephidae G.O. Sars, 1902, are described based on specimens collected in the stagnant water flooding the burrows excavated by ocypodid crabs in two intertidal mud-flats, and from near-bottom shallow waters in Korea, respectively. They can be easily diagnosed based on the ornamentation of both the female genital double-somite and genital operculum; the morphology of the distal segment of the male right P5; the presence/absence of a tiny pointed process on the distomedial angle of second segment of female P5; and the condition (seta or spine) of the lateral armature element on the distal segment of female fifth legs, among other features. This is one of the few cases reported of calanoid copepods living as commensals of other invertebrates, and raises to six the number of members of the genus reported from Asia. This is also the first record of the family Stephidae in Korea.