Dos nuevas especies de la familia Peltidiidae Boeck, 1873 (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) de Cuba

Abstract

Two new species of copepods belonging to the Peltidiidae family are herein described. One of these species was attributed to the genus Peltidium and belongs to the group of species composed of P. ovale Thompson I. C. & Scott A., 1903; P. simplex Nicholls, 1941; P. perturbatum Geddes, 1968; P. proximus Varela, 2005. These species share the elongate female exopodite P5, the poorly-developed baseoendopodal lobe, and the armature formula of endopodite of P2-P4 (with three, four and four setae, respectively). The new species showed to be more similar to P. ovale and P. simplex, but differs in the number of setae/spines in the female exopodite P5 (with five setae/spines in the latter two species, but with six elements in the new one), and in the rostrum. The description of a new species of Eupelte is also provided in the present contribution, and is the first record of the genus for the Caribbean Sea. This new species seems to be more closely related to E. gracilis Claus, 1860 and E. aurulenta Wells y Rao, 1987, but differs in the P1 EXP1:EXP2 length ratio. Those two new species are added to several species of marine harpacticoid copepods have been found recently in Cuba. Some of these species turned out to be new to science or new records for Cuba.