Four New Species of the Family Tegastidae (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) from Shallow Waters of Korea

Abstract

In our ongoing efforts to explore the species diversity of the harpacticoid fauna in Korea, we present findings on four newly identified species from family Tegastidae Sars, 1904. Although this family is frequently encountered in phytal communities, the diversity of tegastid copepod species within Korean waters largely remains to be elucidated. Drawing from our collections of tegastid harpacticoids from Chuja-do and Geomun-do Islands, we provide morphological descriptions for Tegastes lobus sp. nov., T. tresetosus sp. nov., T. pilosus sp. nov., and Syngastes acutus sp. nov., and propose their taxonomic relationships in relation to other species within the genus. Finally, we update the list of tegastid harpacticoids found in Korea and provide a key for identifying the six confirmed species from this region.