Tigriopus iranicus sp. nov., a new species of Harpacticidae (Copepoda, Crustacea) from Iran, with a redescription of T. raki Bradford, 1967

Fatemeh Nazari ¹, Omid Mirshamsi ², Pedro Martínez Arbizu ³

⁰Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Jiroft, Jiroft, Iran University of Jiroft Jiroft Iran.

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May 7, 2021

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

A new species, Tigriopus iranicus, was discovered in the northwestern Indian Ocean. This finding expands the known diversity of the Tigriopus genus in this region.

Area Of Science

Marine biology
Crustacean taxonomy
Biodiversity research

Background

The genus Tigriopus comprises harpacticoid copepods known from various coastal environments worldwide.
Limited knowledge exists regarding the diversity of Tigriopus in the north-western Indian Ocean.

Purpose Of The Study

To describe a new species of Tigriopus from Iran.
To provide a redescription of Tigriopus raki.
To develop a key for identifying species within the genus Tigriopus.

Main Methods

Morphological examination of collected specimens.
Detailed description of diagnostic morphological characters.
Comparative analysis with known Tigriopus species.
Redescription based on paratype material.

Main Results

The description of Tigriopus iranicus sp. nov. from Iranian rock pools.
Distinguishing characters of T. iranicus include specific features of the maxilla, mandibular endopod, P1 endopod segment 3, and female P6.
A comprehensive redescription of Tigriopus raki is provided.
A dichotomous key to the species of the genus Tigriopus is presented.

Conclusions

Tigriopus iranicus sp. nov. represents the first record of the genus from the north-western Indian Ocean.
The new species is morphologically distinct from its congeners.
The study enhances the understanding of Tigriopus diversity and distribution.
The provided key aids in future taxonomic identification within the genus.

Keywords:

Harpacticoida Oman Sea Persian Gulf meiofauna rocky shore splash pool taxonomy