Thalestrella bengalensis ( Wells & Rao, 1987 ) Huys, Rony & Mu, Fanghong, 2021

Huys, Rony & Mu, Fanghong, 2021, Johnwellsia, a new intertidal genus of Parastenheliidae (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) from the Taiwan Strait, China, including a review of the family and key to genera, Zootaxa 5051 (1), pp. 236-318 : 286-287

Thalestrella bengalensis ( Wells & Rao, 1987) comb. nov.

Karllangia arenicola bengalensis Wells & Rao, 1987

Original description. Wells & Rao (1987): 131–132; Fig. 110; Table 7.

Type locality. Andaman and Nicobar Islands: North Andaman, Mayabandar, Seaward Bay (12°52’06”N, 92°56’48”E); algal sand rich in detritus; fine to medium sand with a small amount of shell gravel; taken from surface to 20 cm deep between low and half-tide levels.

Notes. Wells & Rao (1987: 132, 218; Table 7) considered their specimens to be more or less intermediate between K. arenicola s.str. and K. psammophila . They considered all three of them as morphs of a single polytypic species and granted subspecific status to each of these potentially allopatric “populations”. Gee (2006: 2644) reexamined material of K. psammophila and, consequently, reversed the situation by resurrecting them as valid species. According to Wells & Rao (1987: Fig. 110c) the female antennary exopod of T. bengalensis comb. nov. differs from the typical condition in bearing only one lateral seta on exp-2.

In addition to the type locality, the species was also recorded from the Sawai Bay of Car Nicobar Island ( Wells & Rao 1987).