Redescription of poorly known neustonic calanoid copepod Pontella andersoni Sewell, 1912 (Family: Pontellidae) from the Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean

Abstract

The neustonic calanoid copepod of family Pontellidae Pontella andersoni Sewell, 1912 was originally described from the Bay of Bengal based on a single male and a damaged female with a description of copepodid stage III. Later, this species was described from Gulf of Mannar (based on a male specimen) and from West Java (based on immature specimens). In the present study, adult female and male specimens were collected from the coastal waters of northern Bay of Bengal. The species was easily distinguished from its congeners by a barrel shaped first urosomal somite in female, and two subequal spines with two knot-like projections in the first exopodal segment of right fifth leg, serrated spine and three processes in the second exopodal segment of left leg in male. The present note is an updated illustrative description of P. andersoni, since the previous descriptions were lacking the taxonomic resolution.