A new family of harpacticoid copepods, Adenopleurellidae, is proposed to accommodate the genera Adenopleurella, new genus, Sarsocletodes Wilson, Miroslavia Apostolov, and Proceropes, new genus. The genus Sarsocletodes is removed from the Laophontidae T. Scott on the basis of the reduced nature of leg 1 which cannot be attributed to heterochronic (neotenic) events. Sarsocletodes secundus Smirnov is placed in a new genus, Proceropes, on account of the primitive P1 and P5, and is considered the most primitive member of the family. Miroslavia longicaudata is excluded from the Cletodidae T. Scott and is most closely related to the type genus Adenopleurella , new genus, described from the Great Barrier Reef. The family Adenopleurellidae is placed in the superfamily Laophontoidea T. Scott and can be differentiated from the other families by the unique pleural glands, the reduced P1, and the bisetose antennal exopod. There is no relationship with Platychelipus Brady, which should be retained in the Laophontidae. A phylogenetic analysis of the adenopleurellid genera is presented. |
