Bathyconchoecia incisa sp. nov. (Myodocopa, Halocyprididae), a new species of ostracod from the neritic zone of the South China Sea

Abstract

Specimens previously identified asBathyconchoecia paululasensu Yin & Chen, 1991 andBathyconchoecia galeritasensu Yin & Chen, 1991, together with two similar specimens, are reclassified as a new species,Bathyconchoecia incisasp. nov., which we describe and illustrate in detail here. The present species is similar toBathyconchoecia sagittariusandBathyconchoecia kornickeriin having a shallow notch on the posterodorsal corner of the carapace, but can be easily distinguished from these species by the structure of the posterior margin of the carapace and the striated sculpturing on the surface of the valves. The specimens on which this new classification was based were collected at shallow depths (<125 m) off the east coast of Hainan Island, in the northern South China Sea and in the Zengmu (James) Shoal and adjacent areas in the southern South China Sea.B. incisais likely to be a shallow-water species or has a wide bathymetric range.