Neonesidea mediterranea (Müller, 1894)

Maddocks, Rosalie F., 2021, Taxonomic applications of the esophageal flapper valve in the Genus Neonesidea (Bairdioidea, Podocopida, Ostracoda), including descriptions of new and poorly known species from the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, Zootaxa 4903 (4), pp. 451-492 : 479-480

Neonesidea mediterranea (Müller, 1894)

1894 Bairdia mediterranea sp nov, M̹ller: 270, Pl. 13, fig. 27, Pl. 14, figs. 1, 2, 26.

Material: One dry female carapace (171F) with dry fragments of soft parts.

Dimensions: Female specimen 171F, LVL 1.193 mm, LVH 0.734 mm, RVL 1.159 mm, RVH 0.653 mm. M̹ller reported the range of lengths as 1.04 to 1.15 mm.

Supplemental Description: The plate is broad and wedge-shaped with slightly undulatory lateral edges and well-developed anterolateral scroll. The posterior margin carries six broad, low teeth, arranged three on each side of a narrow medial gap, with the middle tooth being the narrowest. The terminations of these teeth are Subtly multicuspate, but this appearance may be caused by poor conservation. The lateral gap is slightly wider than the medial gap. The corner teeth are large and multi-lobed. An irregular, dark brown stripe or layer runs through the posterior edge of the plate, crossing each of the teeth at its base. The bracket is approximately rectangular, terminated anteriorly by rows of tubercles and posteriorly by diagonal horns.

Remarks: The identification of this single female specimen is tentative and based on M̹ller’s description. Several species of Neonesidea in the Bay of Naples have similar H/L proportions and marginal denticulation, but the variability of carapace dimensions and patch patterns has not been analyzed. Bonaduce et al. (1976) lumped the occurrences of up to five of M̹ller’s species under one name because of the difficulty of distinguishing them on carapace characters alone. M̹ller (1894, Pl. 14, figs. 33, 34) illustrated a similarly scalloped plate for an unidentified species of “ Bairdia .”

Distribution: Bay of Naples.