Abstract
A new species of the harpacticoid copepod genus Echinolaophonte is described here from specimens obtained during a biological survey of Rodadero Bay, a coastal system in the Colombian Caribbean. This species has been previously recorded as E. armiger Gurney, 1927 in different geographic areas (Indian and Pacific Oceans). The Colombian specimens recognized as E. villabonae sp. n. and true E. armiger are deemed as distinct species based on differences in several features of which the shape of the rostrum and the dorsal spinous process on the prosome are among the most distinctive. These and other characters are shared by specimens recorded as E. armiger from Caroline Islands and Australia that are now incorporated to the new species. The finding of the true E. armiger, previously known only from Egypt, the Texan coast, Brazil, and possibly Bermuda, constitutes the first record of this species in the western Caribbean and a regional range extension. A key to the identification of the 13 known species of the genus is also provided.
Highlights
The harpacticoid copepod genus Echinolaophonte Nicholls, 1941, belonging to the family Laophontidae, was erected to contain several species previously assigned to Laophonte
The taxonomic examination of these specimens revealed that some of them were assignable to the strict form of E. armiger (Gurney, 1927). Another group of individuals resemble closely E. armiger sensu Vervoort (1964) and following the opinion by Lee et al (2006), it was realized that they represent an undescribed species of Echinolaophonte
The aim of this paper is to review the status of the records related to E. armiger sensu Vervoort (1964) and propose a species rank to this taxon by comparing it with its closest congeners based on Colombian specimens
Summary
The harpacticoid copepod genus Echinolaophonte Nicholls, 1941, belonging to the family Laophontidae, was erected to contain several species previously assigned to Laophonte. Members of this genus are cosmopolitan, benthic forms (Pesce 2016) that inhabit different marine habitats. The taxonomic examination of these specimens revealed that some of them were assignable to the strict form of E. armiger (Gurney, 1927) Another group of individuals resemble closely E. armiger sensu Vervoort (1964) and following the opinion by Lee et al (2006), it was realized that they represent an undescribed species of Echinolaophonte. A key to the species currently contained in the genus Echinolaophonte is provided
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