A new species of the genus Porirualia Huys & Mu, 2021 (Copepoda, Harpacticoida, Parastenheliidae) from the intertidal zone of Qingdao, China, with a key to species of the genus

Abstract

A new species belonging to the genus Porirualia Huys & Mu, 2021 was identified and described here based on samples collected from No. 1 Bathing Beach, Qingdao, China. The new species differs from Porirualia pyriformis mainly in the following characteristics: P3 and P4 exp-3 with three inner setae (two inner setae in P. pyriformis), ratio of length to maximum width of female P5 3.83 (3.25 in P. pyriformis). The new species differs from Porirualia megarostrum by the characters including rostrum reaching to distal margin of third segment of antennule (reaching to distal margin of fifth segment of antennule in P. megarostrum), ratio of length to maximum width of female P5 3.83 (2.2 in P. megarostrum); male P2 and P3 two-segmented (three-segmented in P. megarostrum); male P5 bearing five elements (six in P. megarostrum). This is the first report of the genus Porirualia from the China Seas. The DNA barcode (COI) sequence of the new species was obtained and submitted to GenBank (PP761118), which is the first submission of COI sequence of the family Parastenheliidae to GenBank.