Revision of the Semicytherura henryhowei group (Crustacea, Ostracoda) with the new records from Korea

Abstract

The genus Semicytherura Wagner, 1957 has nearly 300 species, is common in shallow and marginal marine habitats, and has a worldwide distribution. It is divided into several species groups, of which the Semicytherura henryhowei Hanai & Ikeya, 1977 group is one of the most frequently recorded in temperate Asia. A previous study indicated that many of its members are actually species complexes, and that several morphotypes could be distinguished by carapace shape and ornamentation. We review these complexes and conclude that the henryhowei group currently contains 29 species, nine of which are undescribed. We also provide an illustrated guide and a key to species, based on newly standardized carapace ridge terminology. This enabled us to describe one new species from the extant (i.e., present-day) sediments in Jeju Island, Korea, S. kiostisp. nov. We also found one juvenile valve of S. kazahana Yamada, Tsukagoshi & Ikeya, 2005, the first official illustrated record of this species from Korean waters. Our revised spatial and temporal distributions of fossil and extant records from this group provide new insights into trans-Arctic interchange of ostracod fauna from the Late Miocene onwards.