First Record of the Family Peltidiidae (Copepoda; Harpacticoida) from the Gulf of Mexico, with the Description of a New Species ofPeltidium

Abstract

Female harpacticoid copepod specimens representing an undescribed species of Peltidium (Peltidiidae) were found from an unidentified species of Sargassum during a series of samplings carried out in 2014 in Tampa Bay, Florida, U.S.A. The new species, Peltidium camilae , is similar to P. nichollsi Geddes, 1968 and P. lerneri Geddes, 1968. These species share the female exopod of leg 5 with two inner and three apical setae, the second endopodal segment of leg 1 with three setae, and the third endopodal segment of legs 2-4 with three, five and four setae, respectively. Peltidium camilae n. sp. can be distinguished from P. nichollsi and P. lerneri by having a shorter endopod relative to the exopod on legs 2-4, apical claws on the terminal exopodal seg¬ ment of leg 1 that are as long as the first exopodal segment of leg 1, and subequal middle and inner apical setae on the exopod of leg 5. This is the first record of the family Peltidiidae from the Gulf of Mexico.

Nuevos registros de Peltidiidae (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) en el mar Caribe y Florida

“…La subfamilia Peltidiinae consta de nueve géneros, de los cuales solo Peltidium Philippi, 1839 y Eupelte Claus, 1860, han sido registrados para el mar Caribe y el golfo de México. Para dicha región geográfica han sido halladas seis especies del género Peltidium: P. antillensis Varela y Gómez, 2013, P. fenestratum Geddes, 1968, P. lerneri Geddes, 1968, P. nichollsi Geddes, 1968, P. perturbatum Geddes, 1968y P. proximus Varela, 2005, las cuales han sido registradas para Las Bahamas, Cuba y México; mientras que la especie P. camilae Varela y Gómez, 2018, ha sido registrada para el golfo de México (Suárez-Morales, 2022;Varela, 2005;Varela et al, 2008;Varela & Gómez, 2013;2018). Respecto al género Eupelte, la especie E. cubensis Varela y Gómez, 2013, de Cuba, es la única registrada para esta zona geográfica (Varela y Gómez, 2013).…”