In a well on the island of Antigua (West Indies), one female of a new species of Halicyclops was found, described as H. antiguaensis n. sp. The male still remains unknown. The new species belongs to the thermophilus group of Halicyclops, characterized by a spiniform protuberance on each side of the genital somite, the end of which is curved backward, and a spine formula of the third exopodite segment of P1-P4 of 3, 4, 4, 3. It differs from H. thermophilus Kiefer, 1929, H. spinifer Kiefer, 1935, H. venezuelaensis Lindberg, 1954, and H. dedeckeri Brownell, 1983, by the relatively short spines on P5. The new species is closely related to H. latus Shen & Tai, 1964, but in this species the furca and segment 3 of the 4th endopodite are relatively longer. Due to lack of information on the length of the furcal setae of the species of Shen & Tai, further comparison is impossible.

Bijdragen tot de dierkunde

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Naturalis journals & series

Herbst, H.-V. (1983). Amsterdam Expeditions to the West Indian Islands, Report 32. Ein neuer Copepode (Cyclopoida: Gnathostoma) von den Westindischen Inseln: Halicyclops antiguaensis n. sp. Bijdragen tot de dierkunde, 53(2), 262–266.