Spiniferaphonte ornata Gheerardyn & Fiers 2007
Creators: name: Bruno, Maria Cristina
name: Cottarelli, Vezio
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Maxillopoda
Harpacticoida
Laophontidae
Spiniferaphonte
Spiniferaphonte ornata

description: Spiniferaphonte cf. ornata Gheerardyn & Fiers, 2007
(Fig. 8)
Material examined. One female (DSAUT 126) mounted on one slide, from washout of coral sand and fragments, hand-collected by snorkeling at 5 m depth, in front of beach near Sabang Village where Fiersiphontina sensillata comb. nov. was collected, Eastern Mindoro Province, Philippines, 13° 31’ 17” N; 120° 58’ 23” E, 20 March 1998. Material collected by V. Cottarelli.
Description of female. Total body length, measured from anterior margin of rostrum to posterior margin of caudal rami = 711 μm. Habitus, body ornamentation, rostrum A1 (Fig. 8 A), A2, mouth parts, P1, as in S. ornata.
Anal operculum: with 11 tooth-like processes (Fig. 8 B).
Caudal rami (Fig. 8 B): armature as in S. ornata but seta V proportionally longer and thinner, one tubepore adjacent to seta VI (arrowed in figure).
P2 (Fig. 8 C): exopod one-segmented narrowing at tip, with three apical plumose setae, two innermost shorter and of same length; one strong bipinnate spine on outer distal corner.
P3 (Fig. 8 D): basis with one pore; exopod three-segmented, first and second segments with one very strong bipinnate spine on outer distal corner; third segment with three apical and one inner pinnate setae of subequal length, inner seta inserted at midlength of segment.
P4 (Fig. 8 E): exopod three-segmented, first segment with very strong bipinnate spine on outer distal corner; second segment with long bipinnate spiniform seta on outer distal corner; third segment with four pinnate setae of different length.
P5 (Fig. 8 F): exopod shorther than in S. ornata, with similar armature but three subequal distal pinnate setae and one longer and pinnate subapical outer seta. Endopodal lobe with four setae as in S. ornata, but less developed.
Remarks. Only the characters which distinguish this specimen from the original description are given above. Spiniferaphonte cf. ornata differs in body length (711 µm vs 564–610 µm); the morphology and armature of P2-P5 and anal operculum (stronger spines on the P2-P4 exopods, one additional seta on 3-exp P3, a much longer P4 endopod, and an anal operculum with more processes on the distal margin in Spiniferaphonte cf. ornata). The caudal rami and P5 have additional differences in setal/spinal length (the caudal rami have an additional secretory tube pore, not recorded in Spiniferaphonte ornata). These differences might be large enough to attribute Spiniferaphonte cf. ornata to a new species, but the availability of only one specimen does not allow us to evaluate the possible intraspecific variability, or to describe the male morphology. As a consequence, we postpone a more precise definition of the taxonomic status of this specimen until we are able to collect more material.
description: Published as part of Bruno, Maria Cristina & Cottarelli, Vezio, 2011, Proposal of Fiersiphontina gen. nov., redescription of Fiersiphontina sensillata comb. nov., and new data on the distribution of Spiniferaphonte (Copepoda, Harpacticoida, Laophontidae), pp. 1-19 in Zootaxa 2809 on page 13, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.277103