A new species of Paramesochridae (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) is described on the basis of a single male collected from intertidal amphioxus-gravel in Elat, Israel. Singularia ingens gen. et sp. nov. is the largest paramesochrid discovered to date (> 1 mm) and the first to be recorded from the Gulf of Elat. It belongs to the Scottopsyllus-group of genera, and can be differentiated from all known genera on the basis of the structure of the antennary exopod, the male P6, the caudal rami and the segmentation of P2–P4. The modified male P3 exopod is also unique and probably involved in mate guarding. The probable relationships between S. ingens and the type species of Leptopsyllus, L. typicus T. Scott, are discussed. |
