A New Cyclopinid Species of the Rarely Known Genus Cyclopinopsis (Copepoda, Cyclopinidae) from Korea

Abstract

A new species belonging to the genus Cyclopinopsis Smirnov, 1935 (Cyclopinidae) is described from Korea, as the third species of the genus. Specimens were collected by washing the subtidal sediments off Dokdo Island in the East Sea and the intertidal sands at Baegripo beach, Taean Peninsula on the Yellow Sea coast. Cyclopinopsis deformata n. sp. is characteristic and distinguished from its two congeneric species currently recognized, C. curticauda Smirnov, 1935 and C. brasiliensis Herbst, 1955 in having a deformed seta at the outer distal corner of the third exopodal segment of leg 4. The seta is supposed to be deformed from an outer spine on the third exopodal segment of leg 4, which has been known as completely lost in the genus until now. A character comparison table of the three species and a key to species of the genus Cyclopinopsis are provided herein.