Redescription and first record of Cymbasoma boxshalli and Monstrilla inserta (Copepoda : monstrilloida) from Curacao, eastern Caribbean Sea

From a collection of epibenthic fauna in the reef area of Curacao, eastern Caribbean Sea, three female monstrilloid copepods were recorded. One was id entified as Cymbasoma boxshalli, a species which has been recorded previous ly only once, in the western Caribbean. Its original description lacks rele vant details and it is redescribed here following new, upgraded standards. A comparison is made with the very closely related species Cymbasoma rigidu m and C. claparedii. The other specimens were identified as Monstrilla inse rta, a rare species which has not been adequately described. This species s hows several distinctive characters, including the peculiar structures of t he antennules and the fifth legs, and an anterior cephalic protuberance. Th e species is redescribed based on both the type specimens and the Caribbean material. Due to the lack of a designated holotype of the original syntypi c series, a lectotype specimen and paralectotype specimens are designated. This species has been previously recorded only in the Indo-Malayan region a nd Japan. Its presence in the Caribbean seems to be related to post-Cretace ous dispersal trends connecting southeastern Asia and the Caribbean.