Paraleptomesochra minima Wells, 1967

Huys, Rony & Mu, Fanghong, 2021, Johnwellsia, a new intertidal genus of Parastenheliidae (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) from the Taiwan Strait, China, including a review of the family and key to genera, Zootaxa 5051 (1), pp. 236-318 : 289

Paraleptomesochra minima Wells, 1967

Original description. Wells (1967): 297–300; Text-fig. 54.

Type locality. Mozambique, Inhaca Island ; Ilha dos Portuguesos (Elephant Isle); intertidal zone, clean sand .

Notes. The species differs from its congener P. wellsi primarily in the armature of P4 exp-3 (121 vs 221), P2–P4 enp-3 (one apical element vs two) and the endopodal lobe of the male P5 (two setae vs one). Additional differences include the caudal ramus which is slightly longer than wide in P. minima (vs as long as wide), the length of P1 enp-2 which is longer in P. wellsi (and the position of its inner seta being more proximal), the morphology of the setae on P1 exp-2 and the inner distal seta of P2–P4 exp-3 which are characterized by a row of stiff pinnules near the apex in P. wellsi , and the shape of the male P5 exopod (trapezoid vs oval).

Wells (1967:Text-fig. 54F)shows three setae on the mandibular basis with the two proximal ones at a considerable distance from the distal one. It is conceivable that the short proximal “setae” are ornamentation elements similar to those described and figured by Mielke (1994b: Figs 2D , 8A) for Thalestrella pulchra and T. obscura . Rao (1972: 4 F) illustrated similar (but more) setules in his description of P. wellsi in addition to two distal setae. Wells (1967) also described the mandibular endopod as 2-segmented but this is unlikely; the exopod is apparently lacking but represented by a seta in P. wellsi . The absence of the seta on the maxillipedal syncoxa (present in P. wellsi ) requires confirmation.

Although Rao (1972) had previously described P. wellsi from mainland India, both Rao (1975) and Wells & Rao (1987) attributed their material from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Middle and South Andaman, Car Nicobar Island) to the geographically much more distant P. minima . The latter was subsequently recorded from the littoral zone of Lakshadweep (formerly known as the Laccadive, Minicoy and Aminidivi Islands) ( Rao & Misra 1983; Rao 1991) and Little Andaman ( Rao 1993).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Johnwellsia bipartita gen. et sp. nov. (♀):A, urosome (excluding P5-bearing somite), ventral; B, antennule, ventral (armature omitted); C, antennule, ventral (disarticulated, showing armature); D, antenna.