Sars, 1905
Short Description:
Pseudochirella divaricata is an aetideid calanoid copepod known after female (4.30-4.40 mm in length) from the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, mainly bathypelagic.
Taxonomic Description:
Female. Total length 4.30-4.40 mm. Cephalothorax about 3.4 times longer than abdomen. Th5 posterior corners typical of the species, wing-like (dorsal view), slightly asymmetrical, widely arranged, each with spine. Genital segment symmetrical, with moderate widenings in nearly the midlength of segment, twice longer than wide and equal to 3 following segments together. Body surface with "dotted structure". Abd2-3 with hairs. A1 nearly as long as cephalothorax, or body. Ri1 A2 with 1 seta, Re1 A2 without setae, Re2 A2 with the distal seta only. Ri1 Md with 2, Ri2 Md with 9 terminal and 2 posterior setae. Third Mx1 internal lobe with appendage and 4 setae. Re P1 3-segmented. Ri P2 2-segmented. P4 coxopodite with 21 spines (after Sars (1925) 8-12 spines).
Male unknown.
Vertical distribution:
Possibly bathypelagic species; found in haul 1500-2000 m (Deevey and Brooks, 1977), in haul 225-2600 m (Grice and Hulsemann, 1967), also in total hauls from depths 2000-5700 m (Sars, 1925; Jespersen, 1934; Markhaseva, 1996).
Geographical distribution:
The species was found in the Davis Strait (Jespersen, 1934), in the North Atlantic in the region of 32°N - 43°N 10°W - 42°W (Sars, 1925), in the Sargasso Sea (Deevey and Brooks, 1977); in the western part of the Indian Ocean (Grice and Hulsemann, 1967; Markhaseva, 1996); in the south-eastern part of the Pacific Ocean (Bjornberg, 1973).
Type locality: The northern part of the Atlantic Ocean: 36°17'N 28°53'W.
Material examined:
1 female from sample 398. See examined samples module.