Work

A new species of Tetragoniceps Brady, 1880 (Copepoda, Harpacticoida, Tetragonicipitidae) from an anchialine cave in Bermuda, with an updated key to the species of the genus

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Tetragoniceps bermudensissp. nov. (Copepoda, Harpacticoida, Tetragonicipitidae) is described based on an ovigerous female collected from Roadside Cave, a tidally influenced anchialine cavern in Bermuda. The new taxon represents the 16th recorded species of Tetragoniceps Brady, 1880. It can be distinguished from congeneric species by the length:width ratio of the caudal rami (approximately 10 times longer than wide), its cephalothorax with a smooth dorsal surface, and the diagnostic setal formula of its pereiopods 1–5. Tetragoniceps bermudensissp. nov. is the first record of Tetragoniceps from Bermuda and the first known anchialine species in the genus globally. Based on our description of the new species, we provide a revised key to the species of Tetragoniceps. In addition, we include an updated table of salient morphological characters for the females of the genus, providing grounds for a preliminary analysis of the phylogenetic relationships of its constituent species.

Source: ZooKeys

DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1239.144436

Authors: Giovanni Mussini, Yuuki J. Niimi, Sahar Khodami, Terue C. Kihara, Pedro Martinez Arbizu, Leocadio Blanco-Bercial

Institutions: University of Cambridge, Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, Senckenberg am Meer

Language: English

Topic: Marine Biology and Ecology Research

Subfield: Oceanography

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $754

Funder: Natural Environment Research Council