Paraconchoecia spinifera Claus 1891
Creators: name: Graves, Carol
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Ostracoda
Halocyprida
Halocyprididae
Paraconchoecia
Paraconchoecia spinifera

description: Paraconchoecia spinifera Claus, 1891   
(Figures 2–6)  
 Paraconchoecia spinifera Claus, 1891: 1–81, Brady and Norman, 1896: 695, Müller, 1906: 56, pl. IX, 1–10, 13–14, Müller, 1906: 66, Müller, 1906: 3 (Siboga), Vavra, 1906: 40, pl. 2, 29–36, Granata and Caporiacco, 1949: 32, Iles, 1953: 270, Leveau, 1965: 177, pl. 5 c–e; 6 a–c, not Leveau, 1967: 67, Deevey, 1968: 30, fig. 8 a–e, fig. 9 a–f, Angel, 1981: 560, fig. 194, Angel, 1993: 208, fig. 78.   
 Paraconchoecia spinifera Claus, 1891: 64 pl. X, Poulsen, 1973: 12–16, fig. 1 a–i, Chen and Lin, 1995: 76–77, pl. 88, 1–7.   
 Material   
 The material was collected from Discovery station 7856 (see above). Permanent preparations of dissected specimens used to prepare the illustrations in this paper have been deposited at the Natural History Museum, London: registration number NHMUK 2011.1613 for the female on slides and NHMUK 2011.1614 for the male on slides. The 100 males and 100 females that were measured are retained in 80% industrial methylated ethanol, registration numbers NHMUK 2011.1615 – 1624.   
 Description   
 The morphological characters of the carapaces and internal structures of both sexes, are listed in Tables 5–12, together with the comparative data for the other species examined: M. indica and M. mamillata.   
 Description of female   
 Carapace (Figure 2A–C). Mean length 1.77 ± 0.04 mm (n = 100). Carapace of exemplar specimen (Table 5) length 1.82 mm; height 0.90 mm; breadth 0.70 mm. Height: length ratio 49.5% carapace length (CL), breadth: length ratio 38.5%CL. Ventral margin of carapace with few striae running parallel to margin. Carapace slightly elongated with sharp edged shoulder vaults, maximum height anterior to mid-length. Ventral margin curving smoothly into posterior margin with asymmetric gland at ventral dorsal corner of right valve. Posterior dorsal corner of right valve furnished with two small spines. Posterior dorsal corner of left valve furnished with blunt process. On left valve asymmetric gland opening on dorsal margin anterior to end of hinge between valves.   
 Frontal organ (Table 5; Figure 2D). Frontal organ stem slender and almost straight, much longer than limb of first antenna. Capitulum bulbous with pointed tip. Distal end of dorsal surface with small spines. Ventral surface covered in small spines. Total length 39.6%CL longer than first antenna.   
 First antenna (Table 6; Figure 2D). Five-segmented. Limb length 30.0%CL. Third segment with dorsal seta 22.3%CL. Fifth segment with five unequal setae; a-seta 15.1%CL; b-seta 14.8%CL; c-seta 15.4%CL; d-seta 15.9%CL; e-seta 38.2%CL with long hairs on anterior face.   
 Second antenna (Table 6; Figure 2E). Protopodite 59.8%CL. First exopodite segment about one-third length of protopodite. All swimming setae much shorter than protopodite, all but shortest two setae with long hairs distally. Endopodite (Figure 2F)   
 Notes: n = 1, %CL, % of carapace length; PDC, posterior dorsal corner; PVC, posterior ventral corner.   
with short, pointed bare a- and b-setae; c-, d- and e-setae absent; f- and g-setae respectively 26.4%CL and 44.2%CL; h-seta 16.2%CL; i-seta 22.3%CL; j-seta 22.0%CL.  
 Mandible (Table 7) (Figure 3A–C). Coxale toothed edge of pars incisiva with nine large blunt teeth. Distal tooth list with two large and about 10 small pointed teeth. Proximal tooth list slightly narrower with four large teeth and about 15 small pointed teeth. Outer margin of toothed edge of basal endite with two large dagger-shaped teeth, tip of second rounded, one small pointed tooth and five subserrate teeth. Exopodite represented by moderately long plumose seta inserted on outer margin of basis. First endopodite segment with one bare dorsal seta and four finely spinose ventral setae. Second segment with two ventral and three dorsal setae, all finely spinose. Third segment with seven spinose terminal setae; one very long and robust.   
 Maxilla (Table 7; Figure 3D). Basal segment with four naked and two plumose anterior setae, one lateral and four posterior setae. Distal segment comparatively short and wide with five bare terminal claw setae, posteriormost longest.   
 Fifth limb (Table 8; Figure 3E). Ventrally basale with five setae and one plumose seta, laterally one plumose and two bare setae, dorsally single long seta – remnant of   
 Note: n = 1, %CL, % of carapace length.   
exopodite. First segment with two ventral setae and one dorsal seta. Second segment with three unequal, curved terminal claw setae; middle claw longest, 6.9%CL.  
 Sixth limb (Table 8; Figure 3F). Basale with five plumose ventral setae, one plumose seta laterally and one dorsally. First endopodite segment with one ventral seta. Second segment with one seta ventrally and one dorsally. Third segment with three unequal, terminal claw setae; middle claw longest 14.0%CL.   
 Caudal furca (Table 8; Figure 3G). Eight pairs of claw setae diminishing in size dorsally; longest claw 11.8%CL.   
 Note: n = 1, %CL, % of carapace length.   
 Description of male   
 Carapace (Figure 4A–C). Mean length 1.77 ± 0.04 mm (n = 100). Carapace of exemplar specimen (Table 9) length 1.76 mm; height 0.86 mm; breadth 0.74 mm. Height: length ratio 48.9%CL, breadth: length ratio 42.0%CL. Ventral margin ornamented with few striae. Carapace slightly elongated with sharp-edged shoulder vaults; maximum height anterior to mid-length. Ventral margin curving smoothly into posterior margin with left asymmetric gland opening at posterior ventral corner. Posterior dorsal corner of right valve furnished with small spine and blunt process on left valve. Asymmetric gland of left valve opening onto posterior dorsal margin anterior to end of hinge between carapace valves.   
 Frontal organ (Table 9; Figure 4D). Frontal organ stem slender and almost straight, shorter than limb of first antenna. Capitulum, bulbous, bare with pointed tip. Total length 52.0%CL much longer than first antenna.   
 Note: n = 1, %CL, % of carapace length.   
 First antenna (Table 10; Figure 4D). Five-segmented. Limb length 49.7%CL. Third segment with small dorsal seta 3.4%CL. Fifth segment with five unequal setae; aseta 21.0%CL; b-seta 6.8%CL; c-seta 42.3%CL; d-seta 38.9%CL; e-seta 53.4%CL with 30 pairs of spinules.   
 Second antenna (Table 10; Figure 4E). Protopodite 51.1%CL. First exopodite segment about one-third length of protopodite. All swimming setae much shorter than protopodite, all but shortest two setae bearing long hairs distally. Endopodite with   
 Note: n = 1, %CL, % of carapace length; PDC, posterior dorsal corner; PVC, posterior ventral corner.   
short, pointed, bare a-seta; b-seta pointed with hairs; c-, d- and e-setae present, but all very small; f- and g- setae respectively 38.4%CL and 44.7%CL; h-seta 19.6%CL; i-seta 24.1%CL; j-seta 20.5%CL. Right endopodite (Figure 5B) with elongated clasping organ in form of hook with long proximal shank and very long curved end piece 8.2%CL. Left endopodite (Figure 5A) ‘hook’ much shorter and straight 4.7%CL.  
 Mandible, maxilla and fifth limb (Table 11, 12; Figures 5C–F, 6A). Structure and arrangement of setae on mandible, maxilla and fifth limb as for female.   
 Sixth limb (Table 12; Figure 6B). Basale with five plumose setae ventrally, one laterally, and very short bare dorsal exopodal seta. First endopodite segment with one ventral seta. Second endopodite segment with single seta both ventrally and dorsally. Third segment with three terminal setae. Three subequal, very long setae 35.5%CL evenly curved ventrally with long hairs distally 35.5%CL.   
 Caudal furca (Table 12; Figure 6C). Structure and arrangement of furcal claws similar to female. Longest claw 12.2%CL.   
 Intromittent organ (Table 12; Figure 6C). Male copulatory appendage exceptionally long, 25.9%CL with eight oblique muscles.   
 Note: n = 1, %CL, % of carapace length.   
 Remarks   
 The genus Paraconchoecia was defined by Claus (1891) and P. spinifera was designated type species by Poulsen (1973) when he redefined the genus. Paraconchoecia spinifera   
 Note: n = 1, %CL, % of carapace length.   
 has been redescribed by Brady and Norman (1896), Müller (1906, 1912), Skogsberg (1920), Deevey (1968) and Poulsen (1973), Müller (1912) recorded P. spinifera from the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans and Granata and Caporiacco (1949) reported it in the Mediterranean. Skogsberg (1920) suggested that the diagnosis of the genus by Claus (1891) was insufficient because the only character defined by him was the masticatory pad of the basal endite of the mandible. Müller (1906) added the character of the long hairs or spines on the e-seta of the first antenna and the absence of lateral glands.
description: Published as part of Graves, Carol, 2012, Mamilloecia indica (Halocyprididae: Ostracoda) a new genus and species from the Northwest Indian Ocean, pp. 517-556 in Journal of Natural History 46 (9 - 10) on pages 522-535, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2011.649017, http://zenodo.org/record/5202627