Harpacticoids From Groundwaters in the Philippines: Parastenocaris Mangyans, New Species, Epactophanes Philippinus, New Species, and Redescription of Phyllognathopus Bassoti (Copepoda)

Abstract

New data are presented on the taxonomy, ecology, and distribution of harpacticoid copepods belonging to the families Parastenocarididae, Canthocamptidae, and Phyllognathopodidae, all of them from continental fresh water in the Philippines. Parastenocaris mangyans, new species, has been collected in superficial and deep phreatic waters of Oriental Mindoro. Its taxonomy has been studied using scanning electron microscopy. The species is characterized by a hyaline integumental window on the ventral genital somite of the female. It differs from other Asiatic species of Parastenocaris in the morphology of P4 of the male, which is more similar to the corresponding appendage of species belonging to the proserpina species group. Parastenocaris mangyans is the first species of this family to be collected in the Philippines. Epactophanes philippinus, new species, has been collected in the phreatic waters of a river on Cebu Island. The characteristic features of this new species are primarily the morphology and ornamentation of the mandibular palp in both sexes and of P3 in the male, subordinately the ornamentation of P2-P4 in the female and of P4 in the male. Phyllognathopus bassoti has been redescribed on the basis of new material collected from fresh and brackish water wells in Bantayan Island, thus broadening the distribution and the ecology of the species, which had been previously collected only in a lake in Papua New Guinea. The genus Phyllognathopus seems to be very adaptable and euryoecious; it is well distributed in any aquatic habitat and in leaf-litter on all continents and several oceanic archipelagos.