Lithocypris peyia Martens & Almeida & Páll-Gergely & Higuti 2023, gen. et spec. nov.
Creators: name: Martens, Koen
name: Almeida, Nadiny Martins De
name: Páll-Gergely, Barna
name: Higuti, Janet
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Ostracoda
Podocopida
Cyprididae
Lithocypris
Lithocypris peyia

description: Lithocypris peyia gen. et spec. nov. Martens, Almeida & Higuti
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 9AB970D4-FC3C-4314-8C54-4C74720C06C5
(Figs. 3–12)
Type locality - NEW CALEDONIA • South Province, area of Tribu du Peyia, Grande Terre (coordinates: 21° 37.601’S, 165° 36.366’E) (Fig. 1) Found in a lithotelma situated in an outcrop of massive karstic limestone rock (Fig. 2). Leg. Barna Páll-Gergely and Rocky Whaap, collected on 12 April 2022, sample HYNC2569. The rockpool has a surface of c 1 m 2, was at that stage c 20 cm deep with clear water and with sediment consisting of many amassed leaves. The ostracods were densely covering edges of fallen leaves in the water (see Fig. 2, bottom).
Remark: in spite of intensive searches, no other lithotelmata were found in the area.
Type material: Holotype • 1 ♂ (adult); dissected and stored on a permanent microscopic slide and valves stored dry in a micropalaeontological slide (MNHN-IU-2022-1575).
Allotype • 1 ♀ (adult); dissected and stored as the holotype (MNHN-IU-2022-1576).
Paratypes: 3 adult ♂♂ Cp (MNHN-IU-2022-1581-1613) and 3 adult ♀♀ Cp (MNHN-IU-2022-1578, MNHN-IU-2022-1579, INV.156005/OC.3405) used for SEM. 2 adult ♂ (INV.156004/OC.3404, MNHN-IU-2022-1577) and 5 adult ♀♀ (INV.156006/OC.3406, MNHN-IU-2022-1580, MNHN-IU-2022-1583, MNHN-IU-2022-1584, MNHN-IU-2022-1585) dissected and stored as the holotype. 100 adult ♂♂ and ♀♀ stored in toto in EtOH (divided over MNHN-IU-2022-1588 and INV.156008/OC.3408).
Repositories: Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelles, Paris, France (MNHN-IU-2022-1575 till MNHN-IU-2022-1588) and Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium (RBINS nr IG.34045; INV.156004/ OC.3404 — INV.156008/OC.3408).
Etymology: The species is named after Tribu du Peyia, the tribe living near the type locality from where it was collected. To be used as a noun in apposition.
Diagnosis: Valves and most appendages as for the genus. Prehensile palps of T1 asymmetrical. Rpp with first segment almost subquadrate, distally with two ventro-apical sensory organs; second segment with rectangular shape, basal width only half of distal width of first segment, dorsal and distal margins straight. Lpp with rectangular first segment, longer than that in the Rpp, distal segment smaller, sickle-shaped, distally tapering. Hp symmetrical, with ms rounded, asymmetrically skewed towards the ventral side, ls consisting of two lobes: a distal stout protruding lobe (ls1), distally almost straight, with a ventral blunt beak-like expansion and a triangular proximal expansion (ls2).
Description. Male. CpRL (Fig. 3G) elongated, with anterior margin more broadly rounded than the posterior one; greatest height situated anterior to the middle; LV overlapping RV along all sides, but specifically along the anterior and posterior margins; rounded ventral flap weaky developed. CpD (Fig. 3I) with L = c 2.7 x W, greatest width situated in the middle, both posterior and anterior edge pointed. CpV (Fig. 3J) showing RV with fully developed ol; LV with ol weakly developed only in anterior and posterior parts, absent in the ventro-central part. Valve surface densely set with microscopic pits (Fig. 3H) and with rimmed pores around relatively long setae, also with traces of reticulation around the groups of pits.
LVi (Figs. 3A, C, D) with anterior margin more broadly rounded than posterior one, greatest height at c 1/3 from the anterior side, dorsal margin from that point onwards sloping towards the bluntly pointed posterior margin; ventral margin very weakly curved; anterior calcified inner lamella broad, posterior one narrow; il running along the ventral margin, further developed on the inner margin along the posterior margin (Figs. 3A, C, D); absent along anterior margin.
RV (Figs. 3B, E, F) with shape similar to that of LV, but with slightly developed il only present along ventral margin.
A1 (Figs. 4A–C) with seven segments. First segment with two ventro-apical setae, one long and one c 1/4 of the length of the long one, and one short mid-dorsal seta; WO small, bluntly pointed (Fig. 4B). Second segment sub-quadrate, distally narrowing, with one sub-apical dorsal seta; RO small and elongated (Fig. 4C). Third segment rectangular, slightly more than twice as long as basal width, with one short dorsal seta. Fourth segment almost as long as wide, with two long dorsal setae and two subequal, much shorter ventral setae. Fifth segment slightly longer than wide, with two long ventral natatory and two short dorsal setae. Length of sixth segment about twice the basal width, with four long and one short setae. Terminal (7th) segment about 2.5 x as long as wide, with one shorter seta, one aesthetasc ya almost twice as long as short seta and two long natatory setae.
A2 (Figs. 4D–F) with protopodite two-segmented, basal segment with one central and two subapical setae, all sub-equal, second protopodal segment with one long ventro-apical seta, reaching well beyond tip of first endopodal segment. Exopodite reduced to a small plate, bearing one long and two short setae. Endopodite three-segmented. First segment elongated and stout, ventral aesthetasc Y robust, about 1/4 of length of segment, ventro-apical seta reaching tip of terminal segment; five natatory setae long, reaching tips of end claws, accompanying (sixth) seta very short, just reaching tip of first endopodal segment. Second endopodal segment with two dorso-lateral and two ventro-lateral (t-) setae; of the latter, seta t 2 longer than t 1; distal chaetotaxy typical of male Cyprididae, with clear sexual dimorphism, consisting of three large claws (z1 being the largest, claw G2 and claw z3 being slightly shorter, claw z3 being the shortest), and three setae, seta z2 about the same length as claw z3, setae G1 and G3 much shorter: seta G1 about twice the length of the terminal segment, seta G3 slightly longer than this segment. Terminal (3rd) endopodal segment (Fig. 4E) with large claw Gm bearing a row of c 20 hyper-developed spines, a much shorter and slender claw GM, a short seta g and a long aesthetasc y3 basally fused (over very short distance) with an equally long accompanying seta.
Md (Figs. 5A, B) with coxal plate (Fig. 5A) elongated, distally set with rows of blunt teeth and small setae. MdPalp (Fig. 5B) with alpha-seta short, slender and smooth, beta-seta slightly shorter, about ¾ the length of the alpha seta, more robust and hirsute in distal half, gamma-seta long and slender, hirsute in distal half of its length. First segment further with two long barbed setae S1 and S2, the first about half the length of the second; one short smooth seta, about half the length of seta S1, and the alpha seta. Second segment dorsally with a group of three smooth setae (two long, one about half their length), ventrally with four hirsute setae, one almost as long as seta S2 two shorter ones of subequal length and one short seta, about the length of seta s1, as well as the beta seta. Third segment dorsally with four long subapical and subequal setae, ventro-apically with three setae (one long and two subequal ones, about half the length of the long one) and one proximally very short one; dorso-apically with one long seta and the hirsute gamma-seta. Terminal segment with one very stout claw, two more slender claws and three short setae.
Mx1 (Fig. 5C) with second palp-segment cylindrical (rectangular in slide), L c. twice basal W; two subequal Zahnborsten on third endite, both smooth. Sideways directed bristles on first endite both short, one slightly longer than the second, both smooth. Respiratory plate (Fig. 6A) large and elongate, distally with a row of ca. 12 hirsute rays of distally increasing length.
Rake-like organs (Fig. 5D) of normal shape, with c seven unequal teeth.
T1 (Figs. 7A–C) with distal chaetotaxy of coxal plate consisting of 11 setae of different shape and length and a group of four subapical setae, two long, two shorter; proximally with two short a-setae; seta d short, seta b about twice the length of seta d (Fig. 7A); Prehensile palps (Figs. 7B, C) asymmetrical, Rpp (Fig. 7B) with first segment of sub-quadrate shape, with L about the same as basal W, ventro-apically with two small sensory organs; second segment robust, proximally wide, with straight dorsal and distal margins, distally asymmetrically tapering and set with small sensory organ, corner between dorsal and distal margins broadly rounded and almost rectangular. Lpp (Fig. 7C) with elongated first segment, ventro-apical sensory organs small and obscure; distal segment small and sickle-shaped, distally tapering and with larger sensory organ.
T2 (Fig. 6B) with setae d1 and d2 on first two segments unusually small and short, especially the minute seta d2. Third segment with ventro-apical seta e not reaching tip of fourth segment. Fourth segment divided into two elongated sub-segments: segment 4a with a long ventro-apical seta f, reaching beyond tip of terminal segment; segment 4b with a short ventro-apical setae g. Fifth segment with an apical seta h1, a subapical seta h3 (about the same length as seta g) and a long and slender apical claw h2, the latter about as long as segments four and five combined.
T3 (Figs. 6C, D) a cleaning limb. First segment with three long setae: ventrally with setae d1 and d2, dorsally with seta dp. Second segment very elongated, with L c 4.5x basal W, with subapical seta e not reaching middle of third segment. Third segment with lateral seta f about as long as seta e, apical seta g missing. Distal part of 3 rd segment and 4 th segment fused to a pincer shaped organ, bearing one long reflexed seta h3 and one curved hirsute seta h2 of medium length. Pincer organ (Fig. 6D) with a spine, minute seta h1 and flanked by rows of setulae.
CR (Fig. 6E) symmetrical, with slightly curved, slender ramus, ventrally set with a row of setulae; seta Sp short and small, just reaching tip of ramus; claw Gp relatively short and slightly curved, claw Ga robust and slightly curved, seta Sa about 2/3 of the length of claw Ga.
Att CR (Fig. 6F) with TL situated in the db, no further ramus after the TL; vb long and robust, about half the length of the ramus.
Both Hp with symmetrical outlines (Figs. 7E, F) well-sclerified, consisting of a rounded ms, asymmetrically produced towards the ventral side; ls consisting of two sub-lobes, one part of sub-rectangular shape, with almost straight dorsal margin, slightly rounded distal margin and pointed beak-like ventral expansion (ls1); second dorsal lobe much smaller, sub-triangular (ls2). Internal anatomy with well-developed labyrinth, with typical double coil of the postlabyrinthal spermiduct; bursa copulatrix well-developed but of uncertain shape.
Zenker organ (Fig. 7D) elongated, with c 16 coils and a crown.
Description. Female (only sexual dimorphism with males given).
Cp (Figs. 8G–J); LV (Figs. 8A, C, D), RV (Figs. 8B, E, F), A1 (Figs. 9A–C), Md (Figs. 10A, B), Mx1 (Figs. 10C, 11A), rake-like organs (Fig. 10D), T2 (Fig. 11C), T3 (Figs. 12A, B), CR and Att CR (Figs. 12C, D) as in the male, allowing for some individual variation.
A2 (Figs. 9D, E) with distal chaetotaxy of second endopodal segment consisting of three G-claws and three zsetae, the latter subequal; claws G1 and G3 the longest and subequal. Terminal (3 rd) endopodal segment with claw GM long and stout, but with less hyper-developed spines than in the male; accompanying seta slightly longer than aesthetasc y3.
T1 (Fig. 11B) with distal chaetotaxy of coxal plate consisting of 9–10 setae of different shape and length and a group of four subapical setae, two of these setae long and robust, two very short; proximally with two short a-setae; setae d and b showing left/right asymmetry: T1 on the one side with seta d about half the length of seta b. Palp (endopod) short and broad, distally slightly skewed to one side, set with three unequal setae: one very long and set with long setulae, one shorter (c. 1/3 of length of long seta) and one very short, about half length of former seta.
Female Copulatory organs (not illustrated) as typical of the subfamily, i.e. rounded / elongated structures with few internal or external features.
Measurements: See Table 4.
Ecology: The species is known from its type locality only, namely a pool in rocks (lithotelma), with abundant leaves of surrounding trees as sediment. In the type locality, the present species occurred in high numbers on the leaves (see enlargement in Fig. 2), either grazing on epiphytic algae (diatoms and other), or directly shredding the leaves themselves. Such densities of a sexual population in a temporary habitat is unusual, as mostly asexual populations would be expected, and indicates (1) the absence of predators and (2) ideal conditions for reproduction, including abundant food and substrate to lay eggs.
description: Published as part of Martens, Koen, Almeida, Nadiny Martins De, Páll-Gergely, Barna & Higuti, Janet, 2023, On a new tribe, genus and species of Cypricercinae McKenzie, 1971 (Crustacea, Ostracoda, Cyprididae) from New Caledonia (Pacific Ocean), pp. 451-477 in Zootaxa 5375 (4) on pages 458-470, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5375.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/10202801