Schulz, 1990
Short Description:
Pterochirella tuerkayi is an aetideid calanoid copepod known after male (3.28 mm in length) unique in structure of cephalon back side with transverse cleft and with wing-like structures on Th1 back side very probably connected with attachment to organic or inorganic substrate, or associated mode of life from the Gulf of Aden, of bathyal depths found near sea-bed.
Taxonomic Description:
Male. (Description after Schulz (1990) with modifications). Total length 3.28 mm. Cephalothorax about twice as long as abdomen. Cephalon and Th1, as well as Th4-Th5 fused, line of fusion visible (dorsal view). Dorsal body wall of cephalon with hump structures bordered by irregular delicate hair-fringe encompassing area of indentation more posteriorly. Th1 with wing-like projections (dorsal and lateral view). Th2 with row of strong bristles (dorsal view). Th5 corners rounded. Genital segment with genital aperture on the left. Caudal rami slightly longer than wide. A1 reaching distal end of Abd2; 8-9th and 24-25th segments fused; 9th and 10th as well as 12th and 13th partly fused; 20th and 21st segments fused on the right and separate on the left side. A1 1-9 segments with long aesthetascs, distal segments with short ones. A2 with 1 seta on coxo- and 2 setae on basipodite, Re1 and R2 A2 without setae, Re7 with 3 terminal setae, Ri2 A2 with 7+6 setae. Md palp base lacking gnathobase, with 1 seta on the base, Re Md longer than Ri Md, Ri1 Md with 1, Ri2 Md with 9 setae. Mx1 internal lobes reduced; protopodite near Ri base with 2, Ri with 10, Re with 11 and external lobe with 7 setae. Mx2 strongly reduced. Mxp protopodite with distal setae group only. P1-P4 with segmentation and setation typical of Aetideidae. Re1 and Re2 P1 with very small external spines, Ri P1 external lobe present, covered with spinules. Terminal spines of Re3 P2-P4 with 25, 25 and 28 teeth respectively. Ri2 P3-P4 with minute surface spinules. P5 biramous. Right and left coxopodites of equal length, left basipodite slightly longer than right one. Right Re very long, indistinctly 3-segmented , distal (Re3) segment slightly longer than Re1 and Re2 together and tapering into fine point. Right Ri one-segmented, spoon-shaped distally. Left Re P5 clearly 3-segmented: Re1 with 1 small distal seta as long as Re2-Re3 together, Re2 with spinules distally, Re3 with rows of hairs along internal border; Ri P5 left with 1 short small terminal spine.
Female unknown.
Vertical distribution:
The species was found at depth 1318 m in 10 cm above sea-bed (Schulz, 1990).
Geographical distribution:
Indian Ocean: the Gulf of Aden (Schulz, 1990).
Type locality: 12°30,7'N 45°41,6'E (Schulz, 1990).
Material examined:
The species absent in the collections of the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg.