Chertoprood E.S.1, Kornev P.N.2 2006. On the harpacticoid fauna of the Caspian Sea, including the description of Schizopera rybnikovi sp.n. (Copepoda: Harpacticoida: Diosaccidae) // Arthropoda Selecta. Vol.14 (for 2005). No.4: 281–289 [in English].

1 Department of Hydrobiology, Biology Faculty, Moscow State University, Moscow 119899, Russia. E-mail: horsax@yandex.ru

2 Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Biology Faculty, Moscow State University, Moscow 119899, Russia (old address, not valid).

Key words: Caspian Sea, Copepoda, Harpacticus, taxonomy, Schizopera rybnikovi sp.n.

ABSTRACT. Harpacticoid copepods of the Caspian Sea are poorly known; only 16 valid species have been recorded to date. In this paper, three species from the sandflat of the south Caspian Sea are added to the fauna: Harpacticus compsonyx Monard, 1926, Nitokra lacutris (Schmankevitsch, 1875) and Schizopera rybnikovi sp.n., the last as a new species. S. rybnikovi sp.n. differs from its congeners by the confluent basoendopod and exopod of leg 5 in female, armed with short robust spines and by sexually dimorphic caudal rami. The abundance and the species diversity are clearly different on different sediments. S. rybnikovi sp.n. was in great abundance on the fine sand, with overall harpacticoids density 11 specimens per cm2; S. neglecta Akatova, 1935 was in great abundance on the shell sand (overall density 23 specimens per cm2).

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