On the morphology and geographical distribution of some problematic South Palearctic Cyclops (Copepoda: Cyclopidae)

Abstract

Females and males of two South Palearctic Cyclops, C. ankyrae Mann, 1940 and C. abyssorum divergens Lindberg, 1936 are redescribed, and their taxonomic relationships are discussed. Cyclops ankyrae can be distinguished from congeners by the spine formula of the terminal exopodal segments (2433), distinct anal operculum, bare proctodeum, presence of a longitudinal row of large spinules near the palp on the frontal surface of the mandibular coxopodite, spinule ornamentation of the maxilliped coxopodite, presence of hairs on the caudal surface of P3–P4 couplers, and lack of large spinules on the frontal surface of the P1 basipodite. Cyclops abyssorum divergens differs from C. abyssorum s. str. in the relatively short inner median caudal seta, reduced spinule ornamentation on the caudal surface of P4 coxopodite, and presence of large spinules on the maxillular palp. Cyclops singularis Einsle, 1996 is synonymized here with C. a. divergens Lindberg, 1936. The geographic distribution of C. a. divergens is revised.

Keywords:

• abyssorum‐group
• Cyclops
• South Palearctic
• taxonomy

Acknowledgements

The study was sponsored by two Synthesys grants in Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris (FR‐TAF‐209) and The Natural History Museum London (GB‐TAF‐308) in 2005. I am very grateful to Dr Danielle Defaye and Prof. Geoffrey A. Boxshall for the valuable help I received from them during my stay in MNHN and NHM. Professors Cheon Young Chang (Daegu University, Gyeongsan, Korea) and Vladislav Ivanovich Monchenko (Institute of Zoology UAS, Kiev Ukraine), Dr Jens‐Petter Nilssen (AbelCentre, Oslo, Norway), Dr Ivan Pandurski (Institute of Zoology BAS, Sofia, Bulgaria), Dr Ivančica Ternjej (University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia), Dr Svein Birger Wærvågen (Hedmark College, Ridabu, Norway) and Dr Fabio Stoch (Rome, Italy) helped me by sending important Cyclops material from their collections for comparison. Dr Danielle Defaye and Dr Fabio Stoch critically read the manuscript and made very helpful comments. Many thanks are also due to all the curators (Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle Paris; The Natural History Museum London; Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Karlsruhe; Zoological Museum of Humboldt‐University Berlin) who placed their material at my disposal. Andrzej Bartha and Dominik Mikiewicz (Museum and Institute of Zoology PAS, Warsaw) helped in the preparation of the illustrations.