Deevey, 1974
Short Description:
Chiridiella kuniae is an aetideid calanoid copepod known after female (4.10 mm in length) and fifth copepodid stage of male. Species recorded from the north-eastern Atlantic and the Sargasso Sea. Most probably bathypelagic species.
Taxonomic description:
Female. Total length 4.10 mm. Cephalothorax about 4 times longer than abdomen. A1 about as long as cephalothorax. Re A2 about 1.8 length of Ri A2. Ri2 A2 external lobe with 6, internal with 5 long and 3 short setae; coxo- and basipodite and Ri1 A2 with 1 seta each. Ri2 Md with 9 setae. Mx1 gnathobase with 13 setae, second and third internal lobes with 3 and 4 setae respectively, protopodite near the base of Ri with 3, Ri with 7, Re with 10 setae, on external lobe 4 setae. Mx2 of Ch. brachydactyla type, thickened spine present only on fourth and fifth endites, on fifth it is shorter, distal part of Ri not reduced, with 6 setae, endites with groups of spinules on external surfaces. Mxp with 3 groups of setae on protopodite; 1 seta present in proximal part of the segment, then from proximal to distal, 1, 2 and 3 setae and little teat. Ri1 Mxp with 3 medial setae. Re P1 with 2 external spines, Ri P1 with poorly developed external lobe. Ri P2 with 2-segmented Ri and 3-segmented Re. P3-P4 with 3-segmented rami.
Male known after the fifth copepodid stage only.
Vertical distribution:
The species was found in haul 1000-1500 m (Deevey, 1974).
Geographical distribution:
Atlantic Ocean: the north-eastern part, the Sargasso Sea (Grice and Hulsemann, 1965; Deevey, 1974).
Type locality: 32°10'N 64°30'W (Deevey, 1974).
Material examined:
Species absent in the collections of the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg.