Megastygonitocrella unispinosa ( Karanovic, 2006 ) Karanovic & Hancock, 2009

Karanovic, Tomislav & Hancock, Peter, 2009, On the diagnostic characters of the genus Stygonitocrella (Copepoda, Harpacticoida), with descriptions of seven new species from Australian subterranean waters 2324, Zootaxa 2324 (1), pp. 1-85 : 77

Megastygonitocrella unispinosa ( Karanovic, 2006) comb. nov.

Synonymy. Stygonitocrella unispinosa sp. nov. – Karanovic 2006: p. 190, figs 94–97 & 114A–C.

Material examined. One adult female dissected on one slide; one adult male, two adult females and four copepodids preserved in 70% ethanol (DEC voucher collection); Australia, Western Australia, Pilbara region, Fortescue River , Fortescue 4P, bore G70830105P, 19 November 2003, leg. M. Scanlon & J. Cocking, 21°11’57”S 116°03’07”E .

One adult female dissected on one slide; one adult female and two copepodids preserved in 70% ethanol (DEC voucher collection); Australia, Western Australia, Pilbara region, Robe River , near Yarraloola Well , bore PANNASLK24, 19 November 2003, leg. M. Scanlon & J. Cocking, 21°39’50”S 116°08’14”E .

Remarks. This interesting species was described from three different bores in the Robe River aquifer, southwestern Pilbara ( Karanovic 2006). Only two additional samples were collected subsequently, one also from the Robe River aquifer and the other from the nearby Fortescue River, which extends its known distribution slightly northwards. However, its range is still less than 50 km in diameter, which suggests that it is a short range endemic. No new variability was recorded in these newly collected specimens.