Tanaka, 1969
Short Description:
Gaetanus minispinus is an aetideid calanoid copepod known after female (5.15-5.56 mm in length) from the Pacific Ocean of mesopelagic.
Taxonomic Description:
Female. (Description after Tanaka (1969) with modifications). Total length 5.15-5.56 mm. Cephalothorax about 3.5 times longer than abdomen. Frontal spine on cephalon present, small, directed to rostrum. Th5 posterior corners with small spines not covering the first third of genital segment. A1 by 2 last segments longer than the body. Re1 A2 without setae; Re2 A2 with 1 seta near distal border of segment. Ri2 Md with 9 terminal setae. Mx1 second internal lobe with 4 setae, Ri with 14 setae. Mxp protopodite with lateral plate. Re P1 with slight subdivision of 2 first segments, with 2 external spines. First external spine reaching the distal border of Re3 P1. Ri P2 2-segmented. P4 coxopodite with about 23 spines.
Male unknown.
Remarks. According to Tanaka (1969) the species is very close to G. kruppii , but differs in small frontal spine on cephalon, in smaller spines on Th5 posterior corners and shape of lateral plate on Mxp protopodite.
Vertical distribution:
The species was found in haul 500-1000 m (Bradford and Jillett, 1980), also in total hauls from 680-915 m.
Geographical distribution:
The South China Sea, the New Zealand region (Tanaka and Omori, 1970a; Bradford and Jillett, 1980).
Type locality: the South China Sea, the region of Bashi Channel (Tanaka, 1969).
Material examined:
The species absent in the collections of the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg.