Elpidium F. Müller, 1880

Pereira, Julia S., Rocha, Carlos E. F., Martens, Koen & Pinto, Ricardo L., 2023, Six new species of Elpidium Müller, 1880 (Podocopida: Limnocytheridae) from Eastern Brazil, Zootaxa 5258 (1), pp. 1-38 : 3

Genus Elpidium F. Müller, 1880

Type species. Elpidium bromeliarum F. M̧ller, 1880

Other species presently included in the genus: Elpidium maricaoense ( Tressler, 1941) ; Elpidium laesslei ( Tressler, 1956) , Elpidium inaequivalve Danielopol, 1981 ; Elpidium pintoi Danielopol, 1981 ; Elpidium purperae Danielopol, 1981 ; Elpidium merendonense Pinto & Jocqué, 2013 ; Elpidium martensi Danielopol et al., 2014 ; Elpidium littlei Pereira et al., 2019 ; Elpidium heberti Pereira et al., 2019 ; Elpidium wolfi Pereira et al., 2019 ; Elpidium litoreum Pereira et al., 2022 , Elpidium oxumae n. sp.; Elpidium cordiforme n. sp.; Elpidium picinguabaense n. sp.; Elpidium eriocaularum n. sp.; Elpidium higutiae n. sp.; Elpidium purium n. sp.

Diagnosis (modified after Pinto &Jocqué2013).Medium to large sized ostracods, inhabiting phytotelm environments, typically tank-bromeliads. Brownish color, varying from light to dark. Subtle ornamentation as minute individual or grouped foveolae (except for E. laesslei ). Bisexual; females posteriorly wider than males due to the presence of a brooding chamber; sexual dimorphism subtle or strong but always present in carapace and appendages. Ventral surface flat. Width greater than height. Males with greatest width usually at mid-length; females with greatest width displaced posteriorly. Bow funnel structure present internally on both valves in mouth region. Muscle scars consisting of four vertically stacked spots, with two rounded mandibular scars below them. Protodont hinge (sensu Danielopol et al. 2014) consisting of a bar and two proto-teeth on smaller valve, the posterior usually more developed than the anterior. Antennula five-segmented; with dorso sub-apical expansion on first segment; articles ‘4a’ and ‘4b’ partially divided. Antenna terminal segment with two bi-serrate claws and one pectinate claw in males; with three bi-serrate claws in females. Maxillula with a pair of spatulate claws on second and third endites. Hemipenis sclerotized; caudal rami reduced to a pair of setae; lower ramus varying in shape; upper ramus absent; copulatory process usually hooklike, with or without differentiation of distal glans and ejaculatory duct (see for example Danielopol et al. 2014 and Pereira et al. 2019); distal lobe symmetric or asymmetric, varying in shape and size, but always with dorsal seta. Female abdomen rounded, bearing a dorsal stiff spine, sclerotized genital lobes with internal muscles and trabeculae, and furcal lobes with reduced caudal rami.