Research Article |
Corresponding author: Takeshi Hirabayashi ( d115268@hiroshima-u.ac.jp ) Academic editor: Danielle Defaye
© 2014 Takeshi Hirabayashi, Susumu Ohtsuka.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Hirabayashi T, Ohtsuka S (2014) A new species of Labidocera (Copepoda, Calanoida, Pontellidae) collected from Okinawa, southwestern Japan, with establishment of five Indo-West Pacific species groups in the L. detruncata species complex. ZooKeys 447: 21-34. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.447.8171
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Labidocera churaumi sp. n. is described from Okinawa, southwestern Japan. The female of the new species differs from other congeners in genital compound somite with right postero-lateral and left antero-lateral processes. The male is distinguished from other congeners by the structure of the fifth leg. This new species is assigned to a newly proposed species group, the L. madurae species group, within the L. detruncata species complex. In this species complex five Indo-West Pacific species groups are recognized (cervi, detruncata, gangetica, madurae, and pavo) and defined on the basis of difference in sexual dimorphism.
Indo-West Pacific, Labidocera , Okinawa, Pontellidae , species group, taxonomy
We have been carrying out intensive faunistic surveys of marine invertebrates around the Nansei Islands, in the subtropical region of southwestern Japan, since 1988 and have discovered many new crustacean taxa, especially copepods. For example the copepod order Platycopioida was first reported from the Indo-Pacific in this region in 1994 (
In May 2011 we found an undescribed species of the calanoid genus Labidocera Lubbock, 1853 (Family Pontellidae) from Okinawa Island and neighboring islands. It clearly belongs to the L. detruncata species complex (
A fish collection light (KU-5MB, MW50S-G, KOTO electric Co., Ltd.) was deployed at Naha Port (May 2011) and Tokashiki Port (May 2011) after sunset. Conical plankton nets (diameter 30 cm, mesh size 0.1 mm) were towed around the light several times. Copepod specimens were fixed with 10% neutralized formalin/seawater or 70% ethanol immediately after collection. Copepods were dissected under a binocular microscope and examined and illustrated using a compound microscope fitted with differential interference contrast lighting (Optiphoto, Nikon Co., Ltd.) and a drawing tube.
In describing the features of the new species, we have followed the terminology of
Type specimens are deposited at the Kitakyushu Natural History and Human History Museum (KMNH IvR 500,734 – KMNH IvR 500,783).
Tokashiki Port, Tokashiki Island, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, (26°12'0.98"N; 127°22'8.77"E), 21 May 2011 (8 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂); (26°12'1.21"N; 127°22'10.20"E), 27 May 2012 (21♀♀, 11♂♂). Naha New Port, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, (26°14'8.22"N; 127°40'47.56"E), 20 May 2011, (1 ♀, 6 ♂♂).
Holotype: 1♀, Tokashiki Port, 27 May 2012, whole specimen (KMNH IvR 500,759). Allotype: 1♂ Tokashiki Port, 27 May 2012, whole specimen (KMNH IvR 500,783). Paratypes: 1♀, 6♂♂, Naha New Port, 20 May 2011, whole specimen (♀ KMNH IvR 500,734; ♂♂ KMNH IvR 500,764-KMNH IvR 500,769); 8 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂, Tokashiki Port, 21 May 2011 partly dissected and mounted on 11 glass slides (♀♀KMNH IvR 500,735-KMNH IvR 500,742; ♂♂KMNH IvR 500,770-KMNH IvR 500,772); 20 ♀♀, 10♂♂, Tokashiki Port, 27 May 2012, whole specimen (♀♀KMNH IvR 500,743-KMNH IvR 500,758 and KMNH IvR 500,760-KMNH IvR 500,763; ♂♂KMNH IvR 500,773-KMNH IvR 500,782).
Tokashiki Port, Tokashiki Island, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan (26°12'1.21"N; 127°22'10.20"E).
Body (Fig.
Antennules (Fig.
Legs 1–4 (Fig.
Coxa | Basis | Exopod | Endopod | |
Leg 1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | I-1; I-1; II, I, 4 | 0-3; 1, 2, 3 |
Leg 2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | I-1; I-1; III, I, 5 | 0-3; 2, 2, 4 |
Leg 3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | I-1; I-1; III, 1, 5 | 0-3; 2, 2, 4 |
Leg 4 | 0-1 | 0-0 | I-1; I-1; III, 1, 5 | 0-3; 2, 2, 3 |
Leg 5 (Fig.
Body (Fig.
Right antennule (Fig.
Left antennule, antenna, mouthparts and swimming legs as in female.
Leg 5 (Fig.
The present new species is similar to Labidocera madurae Scott, 1909 and L. tasmanica Taw, 1974 in having the following features: (1) the posterolateral margins of the prosome are symmetrical, each triangular with a sharply pointed tip; (2) the female urosome is moderately or markedly asymmetrical; (3) the caudal rami are symmetrical and not highly modified; (4) the endopods of female leg 5 are nearly symmetrical, short, conical, and not bifid at the tip; (5) the thumb of the right leg 5 of the male is triangular with a broad base, and is slightly recurved; (6) the distal part of terminal segment of the left leg 5 of the male bears 3 spines, the outermost of which is the longest. These 3 species constitute a species group within the Labidocera detruncata species complex (see Discussion). Labidocera churaumi sp. n. can be distinguished from L. madurae and L. tasmanica by: (1) the presence of right postero-lateral and left antero-lateral processes on the female genital compound somite; (2) the exopod of the female leg 5 is very short, only as long as the basis, and has a bifurcated tip on both sides; (3) the inner margin of the terminal segment of the male left leg 5 has a protrusion at mid-length.
The new specific name “churaumi” is from an Okinawan dialect, meaning the beautiful seas around the type locality Okinawa.
Therefore
Although
Two species, L. cervi and L. caudata from Oceania are unusual in both having a triangular process distally on the terminal segment of the male left leg 5. The first exopodal segment of male leg 5 bears an outer subterminal process in both species, although it is not certain whether these are homologous. In the female the exopod of leg 5 bears 3 distinct lateral and 2 terminal prominences, while the endopod is simply spiniform. The posterolateral prosomal corners of L. cervi are remarkably large compared to those of L. caudata. These two species are considered here as the L. cervi species group.
Labidocera detruncata is most closely related to L. farrani in sharing the following synapomorphies: (1) the complex, dorsal swelling on the genital compound somite of the female; (2) the anal somite of the female protruded mid-posteriorly; (3) the caudal rami of the female are widely separated, and the right ramus is larger than the left; (4) the basis of the female leg 5 is swollen; (5) the male right leg 5 has a spatulate thumb; (6) the terminal segment of the male left leg 5 has 4 elements, the second outermost of which is the longest. These two species belong to L. detruncata species group sensu stricto.Labidocera detruncata is widely distributed in oceanic waters of the Indo-Pacific and West Atlantic regions, while L. farrani has a distribution in coastal waters of Indo-West Pacific (
Labidocera pavo and L. bataviae share the following features in the female: (1) the female caudal rami are broadly separated and posterolaterally expanded; (2) the exopod of the female leg 5 is slender, with 3 lateral and 2 terminal distinct prominences; (3) the endopod of the female leg 5 is short, at most 1/3 to 1/4 as long as the exopod; (4) the thumb of the first exopodal segment of the male right leg 5 is bifid; (5) the terminal exopodal segment of the male left leg 5 is slender, and carries 3 fine elements. These two species belong to the L. pavo species group and they are broadly distributed in coastal waters of the temperate to tropical Indo-Pacific regions (
As already mentioned in “Remarks”, L. madurae, L. tasmanica and L. churaumi sp. n. together belong to the L. madurae species group. This species group has a restricted distribution in tropical to temperate waters of the Indo-Pacific (
1 | Endopods of female leg 5 absent; thumb and finger of male leg 5 slender | L. gangetica species group |
– | Endopods of female leg 5 present; thumb and finger of male leg 5 not slender | 2 |
2 | Female genital compound somite with complex swelling dorsally; apical segment of male left leg 5 with 4 terminal elements, second outermost the longest | L. detruncata species group |
– | Female genital compound somite lacking dorsal swelling; apical segment of male left leg 5 with 4 or fewer elements terminally | 3 |
3 | Female caudal rami asymmetrical, widely separated, perpendicular to anal somite; thumb of first exopodal segment of male right leg 5 bifid | L. pavo species group |
– | Female caudal rami symmetrical, neiwther widely separated nor perpendicular to anal somite; thumb of first exopodal segment of male right leg 5 not bifid | 4 |
4 | Posterolateral prosomal corners of female asymmetrical with right longer than left; terminal exopodal segment of male left leg 5 with distal triangular process | L. cervi species group |
– | Posterolateral prosomal corners of female symmetrical; terminal exopodal segment of male leg left 5 lacking of distal triangular process | L. madurae species group |
Female
1 | Genital compound somite with right postero-lateral and left antero-lateral processes | L. churaumi sp. n. |
– | Genital compound somite without right postero-lateral and left antero-lateral processes | 2 |
2 | Genital compound somite more than twice as long as wide, furnished with anterior triangular small process on each side | L. tasmanica |
– | Genital compound somite as long as wide, and produced mid-laterally | L. madurae |
Male
1 | Inner margin of terminal segment of left leg 5 with protrusion at mid-length | L. churaumi sp. n. |
– | Inner margin of terminal segment of left leg 5 without protrusion | 2 |
2 | Terminal segment of right leg 5 with expanded basal region with serrated margin | L. tasmanica |
– | Terminal segment of right leg 5 without expanded basal region | L. madurae |
We would like to express our sincere thanks to Prof. G. A. Boxshall for his critical comments on an earlier draft. Thanks are due to the captain and crew of TRV Toyoshio-maru, Hiroshima University, for their cooperation at sea. This study was partially supported by a grant-in-aid from the Japan Society of the Promotion of Science, awarded to the second author (No. 25304031).