Belongs within: Podogennonta.
On Parastenocaris
Published 31 March 2017
It’s time for another consideration of the overwhelming diversity of stygofaunal copepods. Parastenocaris is a genus of copepods found on almost all the landmasses of the world except, presumably, Antarctica (New Zealand also stands out as an intriguing void in the genus’ distribution). The majority of species in this genus are insterstitial, mostly found in soils saturated with fresh water; a small number of species are found in brackish habitats such as estuaries. A few species have also been found above ground, particularly in the tropics (Galasi & Laurentiis 2004). The type species of the genus, P. brevipes, has been found in sphagnum bogs (Karanovic 2005).
As commonly recognised, Parastenocaris is a pretty huge genus, with well over 200 species having been assigned to it over the years. However, the genus has been poorly defined and many authors have questioned its integrity. Galasi & Laurentiis (2004) suggested that Parastenocaris should be restricted to those species most closely related to the type species, P. brevipes. Such a group would still be pretty cosmopolitan; indeed, P. brevipes itself has a Holarctic distribution and is known from both Europe and North America (this stands in pretty stark contrast to the super-short ranges of some stygofaunal copepods). Distinctive features of this restricted P. brevipes group include a characteristic endopodal complex on leg 4 of the male, with the endopod hyaline and with one or two large claws. In contrast, the leg IV endopod in females is long and distally serrate.
Members of the Parastenocaris brevipes groups are found closer to the soil surface than many other members of their family (Karanovic 2005). They are also relatively large, reaching the absolutely monstrous size (I’m sure) of half a millimetre or more. Karanovic (2005) suggested that this larger size could reflect the larger size of the sand grains they live among closer to the surface, or it could simply reflect their access to more reliable food sources that are available to their more deeply buried relatives.
Systematics of Parastenocaris
<==Parastenocaris Kessler 1913R86 (see below for synonymy) |--P. brevipes groupGL04 | |--*P. brevipes Kessler 1913GL04 | |--P. arctica Borutskii 1952GL04 | |--P. brincki Enckell 1970GL04 | |--P. feuerborni Chappuis 1931GL04 | |--P. gayatri Ranga Reddy 2001GL04 | |--P. hinumaensis Kikuchi 1970GL04 | |--P. irenae Enckell 1970GL04 | |--P. lanceolata Enckell 1970GL04 | |--P. longicaudis Chappuis 1931GL04 | |--P. longipoda Shen & Tai 1973GL04 | |--P. noodti Enckell 1970GL04 | |--P. oshimaensis Miura 1962GL04 | |--P. savita Ranga Reddy 2001GL04 | `--P. singhalensis Enckell 1970GL04 |--P. clujensis Chappuis 1925GL04, R86 |--P. fontinalis Schnitter & Chappuis 1915GL04, R86 | |--P. f. fontinalisR86 | `--P. f. borea Kiefer 1960R86 |--P. minuta groupGL04 | |--P. acherusia Noodt 1955GL04 | |--P. aethiopica Cottarelli & Bruno 1995GL04 | |--P. amyclaea Cottarelli 1969GL04 | |--P. andalusica Enckell 1965GL04 | |--P. aphroditis Cottarelli & Bruno 1996GL04 | |--P. balcanica Petkovksi 1959GL04 | |--P. calliroe Cottarelli 1969GL04 | |--P. cataractae Cottarelli 1982GL04 | |--P. cornuta Chappuis 1955GL04 | |--P. crenobia Galassi 1997GL04 | |--P. dentulatus Chappuis & Rouch 1959GL04 | |--P. dubia Kiefer 1933GL04 | |--P. elegans Kiefer 1933GL04 | |--P. etrusca Cottarelli, Bruno & Venanzetti 1995GL04 | |--P. federici Stoch 2000GL04 | |--P. gracilis Chappuis 1954GL04 | |--P. hera Cottarelli 1969GL04 | |--P. impervia Cottarelli & Bruno 1995GL04 | |--P. karamani Chappuis 1937GL04 | | |--P. k. karamaniR86 | | `--P. k. brevicauda Damian 1958R86 | |--P. kimi Dumont 1981GL04 | |--P. lorenzae Pesce, Galassi & Cottarelli 1995GL04 | |--P. lyncaea Cottarelli & Bruno 1994GL04 | |--P. macaco Chappuis 1952 [=Macacocaris macaco]GL04 | |--P. micheli Chappuis & Rouch 1959GL04 | |--P. minuta Chappuis 1925R86 [=*Minutacaris minutaGL04] | |--P. minutissima Chappuis 1937GL04 | |--P. narentina Petkovski 1959GL04 | |--P. nertensis Rouch 1990GL04 | |--P. numidiensis Rouch 1987GL04 | |--P. oligoalina Cottarelli, Bruno & Venanzetti 1995GL04 | |--P. orcina Chappuis 1938GL04 | |--P. pannonicus Török 1935GL04 | |--P. pasquinii Cottarelli 1972GL04 | |--P. phreatica Chappuis 1936GL04 | |--P. quollensis Cottarelli & Bruno 1995GL04 | |--P. ranae Stoch 2000GL04 | |--P. rascana Petkovksi 1959GL04 | |--P. rivi Cottarelli & Bruno 1994GL04 | |--P. silvana Cottarelli, Bruno & Berera 2000GL04 | |--P. stammeri Chappuis 1937GL04 | | |--P. s. stammeriR86 | | `--P. s. gallicus Chappuis & Rouch 1959R86 | |--P. stellae Cottarelli, Saporito & Puccetti 1981GL04 | |--P. trichelata Reid 1995GL04 | |--P. trinacriae Pesce, Galassi & Cottarelli 1988GL04 | |--P. triphyda Cottarelli & Bruno 1993GL04 | |--P. trisaetosa Chappuis 1954GL04 | |--P. tumida Kiefer 1961GL04 | `--P. vicesima Klie 1935GL04 | |--P. v. vicesimaR86 | `--P. v. dalmatina Petkovski 1959R86 |--P. muscicolaGL04 |--P. nana Chappuis 1925GL04, R86 |--P. proserpina Chappuis 1938GL04, R86 |--P. siolii Noodt 1963GL04, R86 [=Siolicaris sioliiGL04] |--P. staheli groupGL04 | |--P. chelifer Delachaux 1923GL04 | `--P. staheli Menzel 1916CMA05 `--P. vandeli Rouch 1988GL04 Parastenocaris incertae sedis: P. admete Cottarelli, Fasano et al. 1980R86 P. ahaggarica Bozic 1978R86 P. amatheia Cottarelli 1970R86 P. andreji Brancelj 2000GL04 P. aquaeductus Chappuis 1925R86 P. arenicola Chappuis 1955R86 P. arenosus Fryer 1956R86 P. arganoi Cottarelli & Mura 1982R86 P. argentina Noodt 1965R86 P. austriaca Kiefer 1976R86 P. banaticus Damian 1957R86 P. bidens Noodt 1955R86 P. bidentata Dussart 1981R86 P. biwae Miura 1969R86 P. bohemica Sterba 1968R86 P. bolbodes Kiefer 1968R86 P. brasilibathynellae Jakobi & Silva 1962R86 P. budapestiensis Török 1935R86 P. caffer Chappuis 1936CMA05 P. cantabrica Chappuis 1937R86 P. chappuisi Serban 1960R86 P. ciliata Noodt 1965R86 P. clandestina Noost 1963R86 P. columbiensis Noodt 1972R86 P. conimbrigensis Noodt & Galhano 1969R86 P. cordobaensis Noodt 1965R86 P. corsica Cottarelli, Bruno & Berera 2000GL04 P. crassicaudis Chappuis 1955R86 P. cruzi Noodt & Galhano 1969R86 P. curvispinus Enckell 1970R86 P. cuscatlanensis Noodt 1962R86 P. dactyloides Kiefer 1967R86 P. delamarei Chappuis 1957R86 P. dentata Dussart 1979R86 P. dianae Chappuis 1955R86 P. digitata Noodt 1963R86 P. divae Noodt 1972R86 P. drepanephora Kiefer 1967R86 P. entzii Török 1935R86 P. fluviatilis Wells 1964R86 P. fonticola Borutzky 1926R86 P. forficulata Chappuis 1952R86 P. fossoris Fryer 1955R86 P. germanica Kiefer 1936R86 P. gertrudae Kiefer 1968R86 P. glacialis Noodt 1954 [=P. tenuis Noodt 1952 non Borutzky 1948]R86 P. glareola Hertzog 1936R86 P. grassei Soyer 1965R86 P. hecate Noodt 1965R86 P. hispanica Martínez Arbizu 1997CMA05 P. hurdi Jakobi & Silva 1962R86 P. husmanni Chappuis 1953R86 P. icoaraci Noodt 1963R86 P. inferna Schminke 1971R86 P. italica Chappuis 1953 [incl. P. phyllophora Noodt 1954]R86 P. itica Noodt 1962R86 P. jakobi Noodt 1963R86 P. janePH10 P. jeanneli Chappuis 1924R86 P. jujuyensis Noodt 1965R86 P. kabiloides Enckell 1965R86 P. kabyla Chappuis 1953R86 P. kalypso Pesce, Galassi & Cottarelli 1988GL04 P. kubitzkii Noodt 1972R86 P. lacustris Chappuis 1957R86 P. latisetosus Damian & Botosaneanu 1954R86 P. lusitanica Noodt & Galhano 1969R86 P. madagascarensis Chappuis 1952R86 P. mangyans Bruno & Bottarelli 1999GL04 P. marlieri Chappuis 1955R86 P. mateusi Noodt & Galhano 1969R86 P. matopoica Wells 1964R86 P. membranacea Noodt 1965R86 P. meyerabichi Noodt 1962R86 P. mirabilis Kiefer 1933R86 P. monodi Chappuis 1959R86 P. moravica Sterba 1965R86 P. nigerianus Chappuis 1959R86 P. nipponensis Chappuis 1955 [=P. japonica (l. c.)]R86 P. nolli Kiefer 1938R86 |--P. n. nolliR86 `--P. n. alpina Kiefer 1960R86 P. nomiae Por 1981R86 P. novaki Sterba 1974R86 P. oncophora Noodt 1965R86 P. palaciosi Noodt 1962R86 P. palmeraeGL04 P. panamericana Noodt 1962 [incl. P. p. f. truncata Noodt 1962]R86 P. paraensis Noodt 1963 [incl. P. paraensis f. bulbifera Noodt 1963]R86 P. paraguayensis Noodt 1963 [incl. P. paraguayensis f. phylloides Noodt 1963]R86 P. pauliani Chappuis 1952R86 P. persephone Noodt 1965R86 P. phyllura Kiefer 1938R86 P. pluto Noodt 1965R86 P. psammae Rouch 1962R86 P. psammica Songeur 1961R86 P. pusillus Chappuis 1954R86 P. rhizophora Noodt 1965R86 P. roettgeri Noodt 1972R86 P. ruffoi Chappuis 1954R86 P. salvadorensis Noodt 1962 [incl. P. salvadorensis f. lanceolata Noodt 1962]R86 P. sanctiludovici Noodt 1965R86 P. santaremensis Noodt 1963R86 P. sardoa Cottarelli & Torrisi 1977R86 P. sierrae Noodt 1965R86 P. similis Török 1935 [incl. P. similis f. macedonica Petkovski 1959]R86 P. sinoiaica Wells 1964R86 P. spinicauda Wells 1964R86 P. spinipes Wells 1964R86 P. spinosa Wells 1964R86 P. starretti Pennak 1939R86 P. subterranea Damian 1958R86 P. tageae Noodt 1972R86 P. tapajosensis Noodt 1963R86 P. tenuis Borutzky 1948R86 P. texana Whitman 1984GL04 P. toeroekae Ponyi 1957R86 P. tridentata Dussart 1981R86 P. tyrrhenidis Cottarelli 1970R86 P. uncinatus Damian & Botosaneanu 1954R86 P. ursulae Schminke 1971R86 P. variolata Chappuis 1952R86 P. wilsoni Borutzky 1952R86 P. xyrophora Noodt & Galhano 1969R86
Parastenocaris Kessler 1913R86 [incl. Macacocaris Jakobi 1972GL04, Minutacaris Jakobi 1972GL04, Pannonicaris Jakobi 1972GL04, Siolicaris Jakobi 1972GL04]
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[CMA05] Corgosinho, P. H. C., & P. Martínez Arbizu. 2005. Two new interstitial species of Remaneicaris Jakobi 1972 from the Ribeirão do Ouro River, Minas Gerais, Brazil, with a redefinition of the genus (Crustacea, Copepoda, Harpacticoida, Parastenocarididae). Senckenbergiana Biologica 85 (2): 147–162.
[GL04] Galassi, D. M. P., & P. De Laurentiis. 2004. Towards a revision of the genus Parastenocaris Kessler, 1913: establishment of Simplicaris gen. nov. from groundwaters in central Italy and review of the P. brevipes-group (Copepoda, Harpacticoida, Parastenocarididae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 140: 417–436.
Karanovic, T. 2005. Two new subterranean Parastenocarididae (Crustacea, Copepoda, Harpacticoida) from Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 22: 353–374.
[PH10] Pinder, A. M., S. A. Halse, R. J. Shiel & J. M. McRae. 2010. An arid zone awash with diversity: patterns in the distribution of aquatic invertebrates in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 78 (1): 205–246.
[R86] Rouch, R. 1986. Copepoda: Les harpacticoïdes souterrains des eaux douces continentales. In: Botosaneanu, L. (ed.) Stygofauna Mundi: A Faunistic, Distributional, and Ecological Synthesis of the World Fauna inhabiting Subterranean Waters (including the Marine Interstitial) pp. 321–355. E. J. Brill/Dr W. Backhuys: Leiden.