New Tetragonicipitidae (Copepoda, harpacticoida) from the Indo-Pacific

During an intensive study of the copepod associations living on the seagras s Thalassia hemprichii (Ehrenberg) Ascherson in Gazi Bay (Kenya), three rep resentatives of the harpacticoid family Tetragonicipitidae Lang, 1944 were found. Diagoniceps laevis Willey, 1930 previously reported from Bermuda (ty pe locality) and the Bahamas, was found in Gazi Bay. Comparison with the At lantic material revealed only minor differences. Odaginiceps immanis n. sp. is the fourth species of the genus, which was known until now from three s pecies described from the Central Atlantic. The new genus Mwania is defined for M. phytocola n. sp. which, with its three-segmented endopodite of the P1 bearing only two terminal appendages, appears to represent a stem taxon in the clade leading to Aigondiceps Fiers, 1995 and Godianiceps Fiers, 1995 . The description of this species is amended with observations on its copep odid development. A second new taxon Neogoniceps n. gen. is defined for N. martinezi n. sp., a species found in a sublittoral sediment sample off the coast of Peru. This taxon, belonging to the same clade as Mwania, shares wi th the latter the primitive body shape and the large endopodal rami of the swimming legs, but displays an advanced P1 endopodite (two-segmented) and a n advanced spine formula on the distal exopodal segments of the swimming le gs (2.2.2). The description of this species is extended with some observati ons on its latest (CIV and CV) copepodids. In addition, presence and homolo gy of sexual dimorphic features in the natatorial legs of the Tetragonicipi tidae are discussed. Based on these amendments, the generic definition of t he genus Paraschizopera Wells, 1981 is discussed.