Corresponding author: Diana MP Galassi (
Academic editor: K. Horst George
A new species of the genus
According to our present knowledge,
Galassi DMP, Fiers F, Dole-Olivier M-J, Fiasca B (2019) Discovery of a new species of the genus
The “Parc du Mercantour” in southern France and the “Parco Naturale Alpi Marittime” in north-western Italy have promoted the development of an inventory of biological resources, including poorly known species belonging to different domains (ATBI program: All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory) and coming from different ecosystems, with special attention on the groundwater habitats. The project was also supported by the “European Distributed Institute of Taxonomy” (
The Mercantour National Park (1465 km2) is situated at the south-western end of the Alpine arc. The landscape is highly diversified and defined by a complex geology (
In two spring mouths belonging to the same spring system out of the 27 sampled in the studied area, a small population of an unknown canthocamptid harpacticoid was discovered. The new species shows morphological affinities with
Sampling was carried out according to the PASCALIS protocol, which was designed to assess groundwater biodiversity at regional scale (
Only two spring mouths belonging to the Var catchment, in the Entraunes municipality, France (sites 30 and 31 in
Female armature of P1–P4 of
basis outer element | basis inner element | exopod | endopod | |
---|---|---|---|---|
P1 | + | + | I.0-I.1-II.2.0 | 0.0-I.1.0 |
P2 | + | – | I.0-I.1-II.2.1 | 0.0-I.2.0 |
P3 | + | – | I.0-I.1-II.2.1 | 0.0-I.2.0 |
P4 | + | – | I.0-I.1-II.2.1 | 0.II.0 |
Observations and drawings were made with a phase contrast Leitz Diaplan light microscope SFZ28, equipped with a drawing tube (standard magnification 1.25×, terminal lens 18×). Morphological details were also analysed with the aid of a Leica DM 2500 interferential microscope.
The type material of
Abbreviations used: Aesth: aesthetasc; P1–P6: legs 1 to 6. Armature presentation in Tables
The specific epithet refers to the region Occitania, derived from the Medieval Latin Occitania (from where the new species was collected, a region now encompassing the French administrative region Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées which is located on part of the traditional Occitania and includes Roussillon).
Sanguinière spring system, Var Department, Mercantour National Park, France, Var river catchment at Entraunes municipality at 2040 m above sea level; coordinates
Body (Fig.
Body ornamentation: integument of cephalothorax and urosome unornamented in the paratype, with short lateral row of spinules on left side of P4-bearing somite in the holotype (Fig.
Caudal rami (Fig.
Rostrum (Figs
Antennule (Fig.
Antenna (Fig.
Mandible (Fig.
Labrum (Fig.
Labium (Fig.
Maxillule (Fig.
Maxilla (Fig.
Maxilliped (Figs
P1 (Figs
P2–P4 (Figs
P5 (Figs
P6 (Fig.
Unknown.
♀ labeled as “holotype” collected from “source de la Doux à Delémont” (Jura, Switzerland), 1 ♂ from “Galerie de la captage de Champ-du-Moulin”, Gorges de l’Areuse (Neufchâtel, Switzerland) without type indication; each specimen dissected with the parts mounted in glycerine. Material deposited at the Department of Arthropodology and Entomology of the Museum of Natural History of Geneva (Switzerland). The type material consists of a slide with the dissected female holotype and a slide with a dissected male; the latter without status indication and labeled to be obtained in the “Galerie de la captage de Champ-du-Moulin”. The mounts are of poor quality and many appendages appear to be absent or lost. The other specimens mentioned by
Caudal rami (Fig.
Antenna: with short coxa, half as long as wide, unornamented; spinules on abexopodal margin long, reaching distal fourth of allobasis; exopod with one seta, sparsely serrate along one side; endopod with distal margin bearing four elements (one spine and three setae).
P1–P4 armature as in Table
Female and male armature of P1–P4 of
basis outer element | basis inner element | exopod | endopod | |
---|---|---|---|---|
P1 female | – | 1 | I.0-I.0-II.1.1 or I.0-I.0-II.1.0 | 0.0-I.1.0 or 0.0-I.0.0 |
P1 male | – | 1 | I.0-I.0*-II.1.1 or I.0-I.0*-II.1.0 | 0.0-I.1.0 |
P2 female and male | – | – | I.0-I.1-I.2.0 | I.1.0 |
P3 female | + | – | I.0-I.1-I.2.1 | I.1.0 |
P3 male | + | – | I.0-I.1-I.2.1 | 0.0-modified |
P4 female and male | – | – | I.0-I.0-I.2.1 | I.1.0 |
P5 absent.
P6 (Fig.
P1 (Fig.
P3 (Fig.
P4 (Fig.
P5 absent.
P6 (Fig.
Re-examination of the slide kept at Genève labeled: “Galerie de la Captage de Champ-du-Moulin, Gorges de l’Areuse (NE); 17.11.1981” revealed, however, that both legs are identical, and resemble the female P1 as illustrated in
1 | P1 endopodal segment 1 ca. 2 times longer than endopodal segment 2, slightly overreaching exopodal segment 1; P2–P4 endopods 1-segmented, P5 absent, caudal rami cylindrical and long (length/width ratio: 3.3–3.5), anal operculum rounded and smooth |
|
– | P1 endopodal segment 1 ca. 3 times longer than endopodal segment 2, quite overreaching exopodal segment 2; P2–P3 endopods 2-segmented, P4 endopod 1-segmented, P5 well developed, with rudimentary intercoxal sclerite, caudal rami subconical and long (length/width ratio: 2.54), anal operculum with strong spinules |
|
There are several indications that
Obligate groundwater canthocamptids such as members of
As far as the stygobiotic
Relationships between
Nevertheless, the females are clearly distinguishable on the basis of the following characters: antennal exopod with one seta in
To our present knowledge, and on the basis of the missing information about the male of
That the subfamily
The alternative in which
However,
During the writing of this paper, our beloved friend Dr Frank Fiers passed away; he was an excellent copepodologist who greatly contributed to this study. We are indebted to Dominique Martin for the continuous support in sampling. Dr PJ Schwendinger (Museum of Natural History, Geneva, Switzerland) is gratefully acknowledged for the loan of the type material of
The research was granted by the European Distributed Institute of Taxonomy (