New Erebonasteridae (copepoda) from Vilkitzky Strait in the Arctic and from a Pacific hydrothermal vent site (northern Fiji basin)

Abstract

A new genus of the poecilostomatoid family Erebonasteridae is described from Vilkitzky Strait in the Arctic, the channel connecting the Kara Sea and the Laptev Sea. Within the Erebonasteridae, Nansennaster, new genus, belongs to the Centobnaster-group. The new genus is characterized by the presence of only 2 setae on the mandibular palp, the fusion of the second and third antennal segments, the presence of a single copulatory pore, and the relatively short furca lacking seta I. A previously overlooked sexual dimorphism in Centobnaster is described, the males of this genus having a modified outer spine on the third endopodal segment of leg 3. Amphicrossus tuerkayi, new species, is described from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent site in the northern Fiji basin. The new species has retained some remarkable plesiomorphic characters, such as an incompletely fused genital double-somite in the female, and 2 setae representing the endopod of the maxilla. An identification key to all known genera and species of the Erebonasteridae is provided.