NOVOCRINIIDAE, A NEW FAMILY OF HARPACTICOID COPEPODS FROM ANCHIHALINECAVES IN BELIZE

A new family of fusiform, semi-planktonic harpacticoid copepods is des cribed from two anchihaline caves, Caye Chapel Cave and Columbus Caye Blue Hole, on the Belize Barrier Reef. The Novocriniidae fam. n. is pr oposed to accommodate Novocrinia trifida gen, et sp. n. and is placed in the tisbidimorph complex of families (Tisboidea) by virtue of its m axilliped morphology. The new genus shares several characters with oth er tisbidimorph families but cannot be placed in any of them without a n unnatural extension of their diagnoses. The Novocriniidae display a suite of plesiomorphic character states in most appendages from the an tennules to the P5, indicating their basal position on the tisbidimorp h phylogenetic tree. They exhibit a unique sexually dimorphic modifica tion of the antennae, involving the transformation of two setal elemen ts into filamentous sensory tufts. The unusual presence of supernumera ry elements on the male P5 baseoendopod is briefly discussed as well a s the presence of a genuine but incipient oral cone derived from the l abrum and medially fused paragnaths. (C) 1998 The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.