Wolfenden, 1911
Short Description:
Chirundinella magna is aetideid calanoid copepod of monotypic genus known after both sexes (female 7.44-8.10 mm and male 6.70 mm) and distributed in tropical zones of World Ocean mostly in mesopelagic waters.
Taxonomic Description:
Female. (Description after Tanaka (1969) and Vervoort (1949) with modifications). Total length 7.44-8.10 mm. Shape and body segmentation, as the cephalon structure typical of the genus. Length and width of caudal rami are about equal. A1 exceeding the caudal rami by 3 last segments. Ri2 A2 with 7 setae on the internal and 7 on external lobes, coxopodite with 1 seta, basipodite and Ri1 A2 with 2 setae each, Re1 A2 without seta, 1 seta on Re2 A2. Md palp base with 2 setae. Mx1 gnathobase with 9 claw-like terminal setae and 1 thinner short seta and 3 setae on the posterior surface of gnathobase; second and third internal lobes with 4 and 5? setae respectively, protopodite near Ri base with 4 setae, Ri with 11 (according to Tanaka (1969)) and 10 setae on Re, external lobe with 9 setae. Re1 P1 with external spine. Coxopodite P4 with row of thin setae along internal edge.
Male. (Description after the same authors). Total length 6.70 mm. Cephalothorax 2.67 times longer than abdomen. Shape and segmentation of the body typical of the genus. Length and width of caudal rami nearly equal. A1 reaching to the midlength of Th4-Th5, 24-segmented. A2 as in female. Oral parts and swimming legs close to that in female. P5 biramous, Ri one-segmented, left Re 3-segmented and Re3 bilobated, right Re 2-segmented.
Vertical distribution:
In the Arabian Sea in haul 275-817 m (Grice and Hulsemann, 1967), in other regions in total hauls from depths 1000-3000m.
Geographical distribution:
Tropical zones of the Atlantic and Indian oceans, Malay Archipelago (Vervoort, 1949), the Arabian Sea (Sewell, 1929; Grice and Hulsemann, 1967), south-eastern and north-western parts of the Pacific Ocean (Tanaka, 1957b, 1969).
Type locality: Sagami Bay.
Material examined:
Species absent in the collections of the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg.