Bathycopola, Kim & Boxshall, 2021

Kim, Il-Hoi & Boxshall, Geoff A., 2021, Copepods (Cyclopoida) associated with ascidian hosts: Ascidicolidae, Buproridae, Botryllophilidae, and Enteropsidae, with descriptions of 84 new species, Zootaxa 1, pp. 1-286 : 28

Bathycopola gen. nov.

Diagnosis. Body rather stout. Prosome cylindrical, longer than urosome, incompletely 5-segmented; fourth pedigerous somite produced posterodorsally. Urosome 5-segmented; fifth pedigerous somite short, obscurely defined from prosome. Caudal ramus typically small, armed with 3 spines and 3 setae. Rostrum not developed. Antennule 7- or 8-segmented; first segment bearing 2 setae. Antenna 3- or 4-segmented; basis with 1 large spine distally; first endopodal segment with 1 seta on inner margin; second endopodal segment with several setae and slender terminal claw. Labrum bilobed; each lobe bearing 1 or 2 teeth on apex. Mandible consisting of coxa and palp; coxa with welldeveloped gnathobase bearing 1 tooth and several denticles on medial margin; palp biramous, consisting of basis, exopod and endopod, and armed with 3 setae on basis, 4 setae on exopod, and 5 or 6 setae on endopod. Maxillule consisting of precoxa and palp; precoxa bearing 9 setae on arthrite; palp unsegmented, but divisible into coxal endite bearing 1 seta, basis bearing 6 setae, exopod bearing 2 setae, and endopod bearing 3 to 6 setae. Maxilla consisting of syncoxa, basis, and 1- or 2-segmented endopod; syncoxa bearing 2 endites each tipped with 1 seta; basis with large claw in addition to setae; endopod with 5 or 6 setae. Maxilliped unsegmented with 4 to 7 setae. Legs 1-4 biramous; both rami armed mostly with spines. Exopods 2-segmented; second exopodal segment armed with 6 to 8 armature elements. Endopods 1- or 2-segmented; in 2-segmented condition, first segment lacking inner element and second segment armed with 4 or more armature elements. Leg 5 consisting of lamellate protopod and small exopod bearing 6 setae. Leg 6 represented by 3 spiniform elements on genital operculum

Type species. Bathycçpçla karubar gen. et sp. nov. by original designation.

Other included species. Bathycçpçla brevẚcaudata gen. et sp. nov., BK dẚcarpae gen. et sp. nov., and BK set- ẚfera gen. et. sp. nov.

Etymology. The name is derived from the Latin bath (=deep) and cçl (=dwell), referring to the deep water (603 m to 5124 m) habitats occupied by species of this genus. Gender feminine.

Remarks. Four new species are included in Bathycçpçla gen. nov. and each is represented by only one or two specimens. One of these species is from the tropical West Pacific, and remaining three are from the Atlantic. They have a rather uniform body form and all possess 3 spines and 3 setae on the caudal ramus. Bathycçpçla gen. nov. exhibits some of the most plesiomorphic character traits of any genus within the Ascidicolidae , in retaining a discrete endopod on the maxilla and in displaying the most complex setation on the mouthparts and swimming legs. All species of the genera Ascẚdẚcçla, Styelẚcçla, and eamẚstyelẚcçla gen. nov. lack the inner seta on the coxa of legs 1-4, but some species of Bathycçpçla gen. nov. retain this seta on the posterior swimming legs.