Bennelongiinae, Martens, Halse & Schon, 2012

Martens, Koen, Halse, Stuart & Schön, Isa, 2012, Nine new species of Bennelongia De Deckker & McKenzie, 1981 (Crustacea, Ostracoda) from Western Australia, with the description of a new subfamily, European Journal of Taxonomy 8, pp. 1-56 : 9

Subfamily Bennelongiinae subfam. nov.

Diagnosis

Adults with asymmetrical valves with LV overlapping RV. LV antero-ventrally with a beak-like expansion of the valve margin; anterior calcified inner lamella with two incomplete inner lists, forming a sulcus and extending in the lip-like structure. RV with short antero-ventral inner list, and antero-ventrally either with a small, transparent ‘lapel’ (see below) or with the valve forming a bulbous expansion.

A1 and A2 with medium-long natatory setae; expopodite of A2 with two long and one short seta. Mdpalp with alpha-seta long and smooth, beta-seta stout and hirsute in distal half, gamma-seta relatively slender and hirsute in distal half. T2 (walking leg) with penultimate segment divided. T3 a cleaning leg. Caudal ramus and attachment slender. Hemipenis consisting of at least two asymmetrical penal sheets.

Genus allocated:

Bennelongia De Deckker & McKenzie, 1981

Remarks

Bennelongia was previously allocated to the subfamily Cypridinae Baird, 1845 within the family Cyprididae Baird, 1845 , but since the regional revision of this subfamily by Martens (1990, 1992, 2007) it is clear that Bennelongia lacks the additional post-labyrinthal coils of the spermiduct in the hemipenis that are characteristic of Cypridinae s.s. In addition, the remarkable morphology of the anterior part of the valves sets this genus aside from all other extant genera in the Cyprididae . Whether Bennelongiinae subfam. nov. will eventually need to be transferred to the Cyprideidae Martin, 1940 will, hopefully, be resolved by the time our revision of Bennelongia is completed. Meanwhile the new subfamily is lodged in the Cyprididae .

Some general aspects of the morphology of Alboa De Deckker, 1981 indicate that it might be close to Bennelongia and thus might also be a candidate to be included in Bennelongiinae subfam. nov., but initial molecular screening shows that Alboa is closer to Eucypris (Vavra, 1891) Daday, 1900 and Heterocypris Claus, 1832 than to Bennelongia (results not shown).