Sewell, 1929
Short Description:
Chirundina indica is an aetideid calanoid copepod known after both sexes (female 4.05-5.00 mm and male 3.75-4.10 mm) from the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the equatorial part of the Pacific Ocean from mesopelagic waters.
Taxonomic Description:
Female. (Description after Sewell (1929, 1947) and Tanaka (1969) with modifications). Total length 4.05-5.00 mm. Cephalothorax nearly 3.8 times longer than abdomen. In the anterior part of cephalon low crest present, much lower than in Ch. streetsii. Posterior corners of Th5 smooth without knob. A1 reaching Abd3. Oral parts typical of the genus. Re P1 indistinctly 3-segmented, with traces of separation between Re1 and Re2 P1, external spine on Re1 absent, Ri one-segmented. P2 with 3-segmented Re, Ri with traces of subdivision into 2 segments. P3-P4 with 3-segmented rami.
Male. Total length 3.75-4.10 mm. Cephalon with visible crest, lower than in Ch. streetsii. A1 right 20-, left 21-segmented, reaching the end of the body. Re A2 1.25-1.50 times longer than Ri A2; Ri2 A2 with 8 setae at each lobe (according Tanaka (1969) on external 6 setae and 7 setae on internal lobes). Mx1 without setae on first and second internal lobes, on third 1 seta, on protopodite near Ri base 5 setae (3 after Tanaka (1969)), on Ri - 5 ( 8 after Tanaka (1969)), on Re - 10 (11 after Tanaka (1969)), at external lobe - 5 setae. Setation of other oral parts also reduced in comparison with that in female. Re1 and Re2 P1 separated; Re1 lacking spine. P2-P4 as in female. P5 very close to that in Ch. streetsii.
Vertical distribution:
The species was found in total hauls from 146-549 m (Sewell, 1929, 1947; Grice, 1962; Tanaka, 1969).
Geographical distribution:
The Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden (Sewell, 1929, 1947), equatorial part of the Pacific Ocean (Grice, 1962), from the region of Philippines (Tanaka, 1969).
Type locality: 5°56'N 76°22E (Sewell, 1929).
Material examined:
Species absent in the collections of the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg.