A New Species of the Genus Robertgurneya Apostolov & Marinov, 1988 (Copepoda: Harpacticoida: Miraciidae) from a Sublittoral Zone of Jeju Island, Korea

Abstract

A new species, Robertgurneya jejuensis sp. nov., was described from sandy sediment samples collected at a depth of 25 m on Mun Island, Jeju, in June 2018. The new species is morphologically similar to Robertgurneya similis similis (Scott A., 1896) and Robertgurneya donghaensis Bang, 2021; this is the second record of the genus Robertgurneya in South Korea. The morphological characteristics of the similis group within the genus Robertgurneya, to which the new species is ascribed, are summarized here. Furthermore, an identification key is provided based on the summary. Molecular identification of the collected specimens, based on the nuclear 18S ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) and the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I fragment, was obtained. Finally, a phylogenetic tree was constructed to present the position of Robertgurneya within the Miraciidae family based on 18S rRNA sequences which is relatively conserved. As a result, the relationship with sister genera morphologically similar to Robertgurneya was also molecularly confirmed.