On Cytheridella whitmani sp. nov. (Crustacea, Ostracoda) from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, USA), with a reappraisal of the taxonomy of the genus

By

Martens, Koen
Almeida, Nadiny Martins
Shribak, Michael
Higuti, Janet
Schön, Isa

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1224

Pages

317--348

Subjects

African species , caudal ramus , Hemipenis , invasive species , valve ornamentation

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1224.135458

 

Abstract

Cytheridella whitmani Martens, sp. nov. is described from lakes on Cape Cod (MA, USA). The species differs from its congeners mainly by the shape of the female carapace and by the morphology of the hemipenis, especially of the distal lobe and the copulatory process. The literature on the genus is reviewed and the synonymy of the fossil Cytheridella boldii Purper, 1974 with the type species C. ilosvayi Daday, 1905, both described from South America, is confirmed. The status of Cytheridella americana (Furtos, 1936) is reverted to that of “uncertain species”. Beside the type species and the new species, the genus currently includes only three further species from Africa: C. monodi Klie, 1936, C. damasi Klie, 1944 (with synonym C. chariessa Rome, 1977), and C. tepida Victor, 1987. The morphology of the new species is discussed in comparison with the congeneric species, especially regarding the valve ornamentation, the structure and function of the third thoracopod, the hemipenis and the caudal ramus. It is suggested that C. whitmani is a recent invasive species in the lakes of the Cape Cod peninsula. Its occurrence at northern latitudes is unexpected, as its congeneric species are consistently (sub-) tropical.