Leptestheria venezuelica Daday, 1923

Garcia, Jose Vicente & Pereira, Guido, 2003, A review of the clam shrimp family Leptestheriidae (Crustacea: Branchiopoda: Spinicaudata) from Venezuela, with descriptions of two new species, Zootaxa 208, pp. 1-12 : 2-6

Leptestheria venezuelica Daday, 1923 ( Fig. 1)

Material Examined.— MBUCV XI­ 3714, 2 males, 7 females; Venezuela, Anzoátegui State, Mapire town (7°15’N, 65°16’), near IVIC Station, collected by E. Moreno, 15 Apr 1993. MBUCV XI­ 3747, 11 males, 2 females; Venezuela, Apure State, Las Peonías (7°25’N, 66°40’W), collected by E. Cabezas, 13 Mar 1981. MBUCV XI­ 3749, 1 male, 5 females; Venezuela, Falcón State, Buena Vista town (11°48’, 69°52’W), collected by G. Pereira, 9 May 1981. MBUCV XI­ 3752, 9 males, 21 females; Venezuela, Lara State, road from El Empedrado to Carora (10°00N, 70°04’W), collected by G. Pereira, 11 Oct 1980.

Measurements.—Male carapace 7.84­17.92 mm length, 4.64­10.24 mm height (n=29). Female carapace 11.20­15.52 mm length, 6.40­8.48 mm height (n=23).

Description.—Carapace with umbo on anterior margin ( Fig. 1 A, B). Female carapace with posterior dorsal margin arched ( Fig. 1 B). Males slightly larger and carapace more rectangular than females. Area between growth lines minutely granulated, ventral margin of carapace with minute spines and setae ( Fig. 1 B). Head with well­developed ventrally arched occipital spine ( Fig. 1 C, D). Dorsal margin of the head with shallow concavity above the eye. Ocellus at base of rostrum, variable in shape. Male rostrum roundly spatuliform in lateral view ( Fig. 1 C). Female rostrum angularly shaped ( Fig. 1 D). In both sexes, wide fornices meet at rostral apex, where a sharp spine is located. Male first antenna indistinctly segmented, with 11­13 lobes bearing sensory setae ( Fig. 1 C). Female first antenna with 10­12 lobes ( Fig. 1 C, D). Male second antenna with peduncle indistinctly segmented, with 12 segments on upper flagellum and 15 segments on lower flagellum, each segment bearing 3­5 dorsal spines. All segments with ventral long setae ( Fig. 1 E). Female second antenna with 12 segments on upper flagellum and 14 segments on lower flagellum, each segment with 1­7 dorsal spines and ventral long setae ( Fig. 1 F). Male first thoracopod stout, with strong indentation at base of immovable finger. Movable finger strongly curved with apex acute ( Fig. 1 G). Distal end bearing very short blunt spines on ventral margin. Immovable finger stout, with strong thick acute spines on clasping border. Endite 4 stout (see Martin 1992, for terminology), with simple terminal setae. Endite 5 (palp) stout, with two segments, bearing setae only on distal segment. Total length of palp slightly exceeding half length of movable finger. Endite 1 strongly curved, with acute tip bearing two serrate terminal spines. Endites 2 and 3 lobulate, with pedunculate setae. Female first thoracopod with setose lobe on anterior side ( Fig. 1 H). Female ninth and tenth thoracopod with epipods swollen and cylindrical in shape (female egg mass supporting appendages) ( Fig. 1 I, J). Male telson with two rows of 29­34 sharp spines, being larger and thin those terminal spines. Telson filaments delicate, plumose on distal end, arising behind first telsonal spine ( Fig. 1 K). Female telson similar to male in shape and spination ( Fig. 1 L).

Range.—This species was described by Daday (1923) based on samples from the Venezuelan lowlands “Llanos” (Guanaparo River which we believe is a transcription error, with Capanaparo River, in Apure State, the true locality). Recently Belk et al. 2002, collected this species in Aruba Island in the Caribbean. With the additional localities presented by us, the known distribution of this species results less disjunctive.

Remarks.—This species is easily distinguished from other Venezuelan Leptestheria by the series of long thin spines on the distal end of the telson. Daday (1923) had no males in his original description, but female characters agree quite well with his description and drawings. This species was found in large pools cohabiting with the fairy shrimp Dendrocephalus geayi Daday, 1908 ( Anostraca : Thamnocephalidae ). Leptestheria venezuelica occurs in the marginal vegetation, while D. geayi is found more often in the center of the pool.