Cylindropsyllidae del meiobenthos di Montecristo e delle isole circumsarde (Crustacea, Copepoda, Harpacticoida)

Cottarelli V.¹ & F. Venanzetti ²
Ann. Mus. Civ. st. nat. Genova, 87: 183-235 (1989)

In this paper are presented and discussed the results of the study concerning the Cylindropsyllidae collected during the expeditions of the Oceanographic Ship Minerva to the islands surrounding Sardinia and to Montecristo island.
The genus Stenocaris, Stenocaropsis and Cylinula are recorded in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time.Minervella n. gen. is charactyerized by seven-segmented first antenna; one-segmented exopodite of second antenna with two setae; two-segmented mabdible palpum; P1 non-prehensile with one-segmented exopodite and two-segmented endopodite; P2-P4 with three-segmented exopodite and two-segmented endopodite; P3, exopodite and endopodite with sexual dimorphism, P5 reduced to a lamina with four setae in the female and three in the male.
Minervella n. gen. is closely related to Psammastacus Nicholls 1935, and to Arenotopa Chappuis and Rouch 1960 also. Among the authors who studied these genus, Wells (1967, 1986) proposed to include all the Arenotopa known species into Psammastacus; on the contrary Arenotopa is a good genus for Bodiou and Colomines (1986). Owing to the real differences between these two genus in "adaptative" (such as sexual dimorphism) and in "not adaptative" characters (structure of of A2 exopodite and mandible palpum) we propose Arenotopa as a good genus comprising A. ghanai, A. rossii and A. erasmusi = Psammastacus erasmusi.
Inside the genus Psammastacus it is possible to discriminate two groups of species, distinguishable by the structure of the A2 exopodite. Hence, beyond Psammastacus whose A2 exopodite is represented by one seta and comprising P. brevicaudatus and P. confluens we propose the new genus Neopsammastacus characterized by the one-segmented A2 exopodite and including Psammastacus acuticaudatus, P. remanei, P. perplexus, P. spinicaudatus.
Psamathea n. gen. is characterized by seven-segmented first antenna, second antenna with allobasis and one-segmented exopodite; two-segmented mandible palpum; maxilliped like Leptastacus; P1 with two-segmented exopodite and two-segmented endopodite; P5 reduced to a nearly quadrangular lamina; P6 reduced to little asymmetrical laminae; furcal rami longest than large, distally produced into three points.
Psammathea n. gen. seems to be closely related to Notopontia Bodiou 1977 and to Pararenopontia Bodiou & Colomines 1986.
Finally a key to the identification of the genus of Cylindropsyllidae is proposed. Although the key follows the one proposed by Bodiou & Colomines 1986, it includes the necessary integrations. Obviously it is not definitive and will be susceptible of improvements and changes as soon as new data are available.

1. Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali - Università della Tuscia - 01100 Viterbo - Italy
e-mail: Cottarel@unitus.it

2. Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Roma "Tor Vergata", Via O.Raimondo - 00173 Roma - Italy

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