A new species of Stylicletodes Lang, 1936 (Copepoda: Harpacticoida: Cletodidae) from the East China Sea, including an updated key to species and synopsis of distribution records

Abstract

Both sexes of a new species, Stylicletodes wellsi sp. nov. (Harpacticoida: Cletodidae), are described from material collected from sediments in the East China Sea. The new species belongs to a species group whose members are characterized by an anal operculum that has a backwardly directed, median linguiform process and fifth legs that display naked or sparsely pinnate armature elements in both sexes. Within this group, S. wellsi sp. nov. is morphologically closest to S. reductus Wells, 1965 but differs primarily from its European congener in the armature pattern of P4 (both rami) and the female P5. Distribution records of all species are summarized and an updated identification key to the seven valid species in the genus is presented. Taxonomic issues related to the type species S. longicaudatus (Brady, 1880) are briefly discussed.