Parmulopsyllus, Borges & Farias & Mácola & Neves & Son, 2021

Borges, Camila, Farias, Amilcar, Mácola, Rosa, Neves, Elizabeth G. & Son, Rodrigo Johns-, 2021, A new Entomolepididae genus and a new species of Spongiopsyllus Johnsson, 2000 (Copepoda, Siphonostomatoida) and their association with Aplysina Nardo, 1834 (Porifera, Demospongiae) in Todos-os-Santos Bay, Bahia, Brazil, Zootaxa 4981 (2), pp. 301-316 : 302-303

Parmulopsyllus gen. nov.

Diagnosis

Body shield with only pedigerous somite 2 free. Urosome cylindrical and 3-segmented.Antennule of female 16-segmented with aesthetasc on 15th segment. Antenna with 1-segmented exopod and 3-segmented endopod. Oral cone elongated. Mandible consisting of stylet and 1-segmented palp bearing two distal setae. Maxilla without ornamentations. Maxillule bilobed. Maxilliped 4-segmented. Legs 1-3 biramous, both rami 3-segmented. Third endopodal segment of leg 2 with armature formula 1,2,2; third exopodal and endopodal segments of leg 3 with armature formula III,1+I,3 and 1,2,3 respectively. Leg 4 totally absent. Free segment of leg 5 with 3 setae.

Remarks: Parmulopsyllus gen. nov. shows the characteristics of the subfamily Parmulodinae .A single thoracic free somite between cephalothorax and abdominal pleural plate. Mandible not greatly lengthened and retaining a recognizable blade. Basal segment of maxillule small, with long inner lobe, and outer lobe about 1/3 total length of the inner one. Leg 4 absent; leg 5 present as in Entomolepinae , but considerably shorter ( McKinnon 1988), or totally absent as Paralepeopsyllus Ummerkutty, 1961 .

Considering the swimming legs of the genera included in Parmulodinae , Parmulella has leg 4 similar to a knob or a monomerous rudiment and its leg 5 is leafshaped or clavate ( Stock 1992). In Parmulodes , leg 4 is reduced to a minute distal seta and leg 5 is 1-segmented and slightly elongated ( Wilson 1944, Canário et al. 2019). Parmulopsyllus gen. nov. has leg 4 totally absent and leg 5 slightly longer than in Parmulodes but not as long as in Parmulella .

Parmulopsyllus gen. nov. also differs from the other genera in its subfamily by having a 16-segmented antennule instead of a 17 or a 18-segmented antennule as in Parmulodes and Parmulella , respectively ( Stock 1992, Wilson 1944); a 4-segmented maxilliped instead of a 5-segmented as both other genera, and a distinctive armature formulae on the third endopodal segment of leg 2 with formula 1,2,2 instead of 1,2,3 as Parmulodes and Parmulella ( Stock 1992, Wilson 1944, Canário et al. 2019), on the third endopodal segment of leg 3 with formula 1,2,3 instead of 1,1,3 as in both other genera ( Stock 1992, Canário et al. 2019).

Etymology: ‘ Parmula ’ from the Latin little shield, added suffix ‘odes’ (masculine) and ‘psyllus’ from the greek meaning flea. Gender masculine.

Type species by original designation: Parmulopsyllus iamarinoi sp. nov.