A new species of Ancorabolidae (Copepoda, Harpacticoidea) from the northern coast of Spain: Lophontodes mourois sp. n.

Abstract

Both sexes of a new species of the family Ancorabolidae Sars, 1909 (Copepoda, Harpacticoida), Laophontodes mourois sp.n. were collected from Laminaria ochroleuca holdfasts and are described in this paper. Its inclusion in the genus Laophontodes Scott, 1894 is justified by the diagnostic characters of the genus: three outer setae on the terminal exopod segment of P2–P4; presence of two endopod segments in each swimming leg; prehensile P1 endopod and, transversely elongated basis of P2–P4. L. mourois sp. n. is the only hitherto described species of the genus Laophontodes bearing 2-segmented enps on P2–P4 and only 1 inner seta on exopod 3, while the two other segments of every swimming appendage remain unarmed.