Parapseudoleptomesochra phayaoensis, a new species of copepod (Copepoda: Harpacticoida: Ameiridae) from a cave in northern Thailand

Abstract

A new species of freshwater harpacticoid copepod, Parapseudoleptomesochra phayaoensis sp.n., was found in a sample collected from a cave in northern Thailand. The new species resembles P. italica Pesce et Petkovski, 1980; however, it differs from P. italica by (1) the armature of baseoendopod and exopod of the fifth leg in both sexes, (2) the setal formula on P1 Exp-3 and P3-P4 Enp-3 and (3) by having a long inner accessory seta (seta VI) on the caudal rami in the female. To our knowledge, this is the first species of the genus

Two new species of Metacyclops Kiefer, 1927 (Copepoda, Cyclopoida) from Thailand and an up-to-date key to the species recorded in Asia

“…According to the great contributions of Professor Dr La-orsri Sanoamuang and Professor Dr Anton Brancelj on the diversity of copepod in caves and karsts in Thailand and Vietnam (e.g., Brancelj 2005;Brancelj et al 2010;Tran & Brancelj 2017;Sanoamuang et al 2019;Koompoot & Sanoamuang 2021;, the number of copepod species has increased rapidly. Recently, several new Cyclopoida and Harpacticoida were discovered in Thailand by them and their colleagues, including either known genera such as Atthyella Brady, 1880 (1 species), Elaphoidella Chappuis, 1929 (8 species), Onychocamptus Daday, 1903 (1 species), Bryocyclops Kiefer, 1927 (6 species), Fierscyclops Karanovic, 2014 (2 species), Metacyclops Kiefer, 1927 (1 species), Parapseudoleptomesochra Lang, 1965 (1 species), Thermocyclops Kiefer, 1927 (2 species), Schizopera Sars, 1905 (1 species) and the newly erected genus and subgenus, such as Siamcyclops Boonyanusith, Sanoamuang & Brancelj, 2018 (1 species) and Rangabradya (Siamorangabradya) Boonyanusith & Athibai 2021 (1 species) (Brancelj et al 2010;Watiroyram et al 2012Watiroyram et al , 2015aWatiroyram et al , 2015bWatiroyram et al , 2017Watiroyram et al , 2021Boonyanusith et al 2013;2018a;2018b;Watiroyram & Brancelj 2016;Karanovic et al 2017;Watiroyram 2018aWatiroyram , 2018bWatiroyram , 2021aWatiroyram , 2021bBoonyanusith & Athibai 2021;Koompoot & Sanoamuang 2021;. Of the listed genera, Fierscyclops, Rangabradya, and Parapseudoleptomesochra were the first records in Southeast Asia (Boonyanusith et al 2013;Boonyanusith & Athibai 2021;Koompoot & Sanoamuang 2021).…”