﻿A new species of Esola Edwards, 1891 (Crustacea, Copepoda, Harpacticoida, Laophontidae) from the Caribbean coast of Colombia.

Juan Manuel Fuentes-Reinés,Eduardo Suarez-Morales,Marcelo Silva-Briano

doi:10.3897/zookeys.1074.73030

A new species of Esola Edwards, 1891 (Crustacea, Copepoda, Harpacticoida, Laophontidae) from the Caribbean coast of Colombia.

Juan Manuel Fuentes-Reinés, Eduardo Suarez-Morales + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1074.73030

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Abstract

A new species of the harpacticoid copepod genus Esola is described from specimens collected in Rodadero Beach, on Gaira Bay, on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. The species, E.wellsisp. nov., is described, illustrated, and compared with its congeners. Esolawellsisp. nov. differs from its known congeners in details of the armature of legs 1–4. It most closely resembles E.bulbifera (Norman, 1911) in the armature formula of P1–P5 but differs from the latter in several respects, including the female antennule segmentation (7-segmented in E.bulbifera but distinctly 6-segmented in E.wellsisp. nov.) and in the shape and size of the male P3ENP2 apophysis, among other characters. This is the second species of the genus known from the Caribbean and the second record of Esola in the Northwestern Tropical Atlantic. The genus now contains eight species. A key to the known species of the genus is also included.

Highlights

A new species of the harpacticoid copepod genus Esola is described from specimens collected in Rodadero Beach, on Gaira Bay, on the Caribbean coast of Colombia
Esola wellsi sp. nov. differs from its known congeners in details of the armature of legs 1–4. It most closely resembles E. bulbifera (Norman, 1911) in the armature formula of P1–P5 but differs from the latter in several respects, including the female antennule segmentation (7-segmented in E. bulbifera but distinctly 6-segmented in E. wellsi sp. nov.) and in the shape and size of the male P3ENP2 apophysis, among other characters. This is the second species of the genus known from the Caribbean and the second record of Esola in the Northwestern Tropical Atlantic
The family Laophontidae is one of the largest in the copepod order Harpacticoida; it contains over 320 species and 63 genera

Summary

Introduction

The family Laophontidae is one of the largest in the copepod order Harpacticoida; it contains over 320 species and 63 genera. Huys and Lee (2000) subdivided the family into two subfamilies: Esolinae and Laophontinae, with the latter containing 95% of the known laophontid species (Boxshall and Halsey 2004).Most laophontids are commonly found as benthic forms living in costal marine and transitional environments (Huys and Lee 2000; Boxshall and Halsey 2004), but some genera can be found in fully freshwater habitats (Defaye and Dussart 2011). With characters of laophontid genus Esola, body covered by dense pattern of small spinules, closely resembling E. bulbifera as redescribed by Huys and Lee (2000) in most respects, including body length and armature of legs 1–4, but female antennule distinctly 6-segmented, male geniculate antennule 7-segmented, subchirocer.

Results

Conclusion