A bathypelagic ostracod Conchoecissa nigromaculatus sp. nov. (Myodocopa, Halocyprididae) from the South China Sea

• Published in: PeerJ (San Francisco, CA) Vol. 6; p. e5557
• Main Authors: Xiang, Peng, Wang, Yu, Chen, Ruixiang, Zhao, Liyuan, Wang, Chunguang, Lin, Mao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States PeerJ, Inc 07.09.2018; PeerJ Inc
• Subjects: Bathypelagic; Biodiversity; Conchoecissa; Conchoecissa nigromaculatus sp. nov; Glands; Life sciences; Mandible; Marine Biology; Marine ecosystems; Maxilla; Museums; New species; Oceanography; Ostracoda; Ribosomal DNA; South China Sea; Taxonomy; Zoology; Zooplankton; South China Sea; United States > US; China; Germany; Bathypelagic; South China Sea; Conchoecissa nigromaculatus sp. nov; Taxonomy; Ostracoda
• ISSN: 2167-8359; 2167-8359
• DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5557

Pelagic ostracods are one of the main groups of zooplankton and are abundant in marine ecosystems worldwide. The record of marine planktonic ostracod species in the central and southern part of the South China Sea accounts over for one-third of the total recorded marine planktonic ostracods in seas around China. In this study, we examined and compared the specimens from a recent cruise in this region that appeared to be different from previously described species of genus , and then confirmed them as a new bathypelagic species . These specimens clearly differed from the other species of genus with differences observed in the size, carapace, locations of glands, mandible, maxilla, sixth limb, and furca. In this species, mandibular coxal endite has no ventral finger process, maxilla has prominently large endites and has only two claws on the tip, the sixth limb has very simple endites, and this species has distinctive features not previously observed in the tribe Conchoeciini before. It is therefore necessary to emend the diagnosis of this group.