A new species of Monstrilla (Copepoda, Monstrilloida) from the plankton of a large coastal system of the northwestern Caribbean with a key to species

Abstract

The genus Monstrilla Dana, 1849 is the most diverse of the copepod order Monstrilloida. Monstrilloid copepods are endoparasites of benthic polychaetes and molluscs; adult individuals are free-living, non-feeding reproductive forms that briefly become part of the zooplankton community, where they are occasionally captured by plankton nets. Monstrilloid copepods are frequently found during routine plankton samplings of coastal and estuarine habitats, but they are rarely found in large numbers. The western sector of the Caribbean Sea is known to harbor a diverse monstrilloid fauna. The analysis of zooplankton samples obtained during nine years from Chetumal Bay, a large embayment of the Mexican Caribbean coast, yielded a male monstrilloid that was found to represent a new species. It is herein described following upgraded standards and compared with its congeners. A key to males and females of the Monstrilla species known from the northwestern Caribbean is also provided.

Copépodos planctónicos del Caribe nororiental y Atlántico venezolano

“…Due to their rarity in plankton and taxonomic complexity, there are large geographical areas where the fauna of monstrilloid copepods remains largely unknown (Suárez- Morales, 2015;Suárez-Morales & Castellanos-Osorio, 2019). In this region, the order Monstrilloida is represented by one genus: Monstrilla.…”

A new species of the Cymbasoma longispinosum species-group (Copepoda: Monstrilloida) from Belize, western Caribbean

“…They can be caught occasionally during plankton samplings in coastal lagoons and embayments (Suárez-Morales, 2011;, particularly in reef habitats where they can be abundant and diverse (Suárez-Morales, 2001). The order is currently represented by a single family (Monstrillidae) that contains 7 valid genera: Monstrilla Dana, 1849;Cymbasoma Thompson, 1888;Monstrillopsis Sars, 1921;Maemonstrilla Grygier & Ohtsuka, 2008;Australomonstrillopsis Suárez-Morales & McKinnon, 2014;Caromiobenella Jeon, Lee & Soh, 2018;and Spinomonstrilla Suárez-Morales, 2019(Suárez-Morales, 2011, 2019Suárez-Morales & McKinnon, 2014;). Cymbasoma and Monstrilla are currently deemed as the most speciose genera (Suárez-Morales, 2011).…”

“…Cymbasoma and Monstrilla are currently deemed as the most speciose genera (Suárez-Morales, 2011). There is only one previous record of a monstrilloid copepod from Chetumal Bay, a species of the genus Monstrilla (Suárez-Morales & Castellanos, 2019) There are several nominal species whose taxonomic status is doubtful; some of these have been recorded from different geographic regions but were recognized as species groups containing distinct species (Suárez-Morales, 2011;Üstün et al, 2014). One of these groups is the Cymbasoma longispinosum species-group, which is currently known to contain at least 7 species worldwide (Üstün et al, 2014).…”