Redescription and Clarification of Type Designation of Entocythere cambaria Marshall, 1903 (Ostracoda: Entocytheridae) and synonymization of Entocythere illinoisensis Hoff, 1942.

Abstract

Entocythere cambaria was described by William S. Marshall in 1903 as the first species in what would later become family Entocytheridae. Designated as the type species of Entocythere both by original designation and monotypy, E. cambaria is integral to understanding relationships within the genus. Yet, a type series for E. cambaria was not designated, and specimens used by Marshall to describe the species have since been deemed no longer extant. C.W. Hart Jr. and Dabney Hart assigned a neotype for E. cambaria in 1974, but this specimen was not catalogued into the Invertebrate Zoology Collection at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, and subsequently disappeared. A specimen, which we believe to be Hart and Hart's intended neotype, was recently discovered, giving us the opportunity to clarify the neotype designation of E. cambaria, and provide a complete description based on modern standards for podocopid ostracods. In addition, based on careful scrutiny of numerous specimens, including the types, we synonymize Entocythere illinoisensis with E. cambaria, and describe in full for the time the adult female of the species.