A cladistic analysis and taxonomic revision of Australian Metacyclops and Goniocyclops, with description of four new species and three new genera (Copepoda, Cyclopoida)

Four new small subterranean cyclopid species are described from Australia in a newly erectedgenus Anzcyclops n. gen.: A. yarriensis n. sp. (type), A. belli n. sp., A. ballensis n. sp., andA. euryantennula n. sp. Three species are from the Pilbara region in Western Australia, the fourthspecies from central Queensland. Another previously described species from New Zealand istransferred to this genus, A. silvestris (Harding, 1958) n. comb., originally described in the genusGoniocyclops Kiefer, 1955. The new genus has a number of unique features, including dorsoventrallycompressed habitus, reticulated integument of prosomites, and a characterstic shape of the fifth leg.It is most closely related to the South American genus Muscocyclops Kiefer, 1937, and the twoshare the same spine formula of the swimming legs (2.3.3.2), but they can be distinguished by anumber of characters in the shape of the genital double-somite, caudal rami, and anal operculum, aswell as in the armature of the first leg. Our preliminary cladistic analysis revealed the polyphyleticnature of the endemic Australian genus Fierscyclops Karanovic, 2004. As a result, the subgenusPilbaracyclops Karanovic, 2006 is upgraded to full generic rank and its two species are given asnew combinations: P. supersensus (Karanovic, 2006) n. comb. (type) and P. frustratio (Karanovic,2006) n. comb. The assemblage of Australian species previously considered members of the genusMetacyclops Kiefer, 1927 is also found to be polyphyletic and all five Australian representatives andone New Zealand species of the so-called trispinosus-goup are transferred into a newly erectedgenus Pescecyclops n. gen.: P. laurentiisae (Karanovic, 2004) n. comb. (type), P. pilanus (Karanovic,2004) n. comb., P. arnaudi (G. O. Sars, 1908) n. comb., P. monacanthus (Kiefer, 1928) n. comb.,P. kimberleyi (Karanovic, 2004) n. comb., and P. pilbaricus (Karanovic, 2004) n. comb. After this,only two Australian species are left in the genus Metacyclops: M. mortoni Pesce, De Laurentiis &Humphreys, 1996 and M. superincidentis Karanovic, 2004. Pescecyclops is defined by the presenceof three spines on the distal exopodal segment of all swimming legs, only one apical spine onthe fourth leg endopod, and absence of any sexual dimorphism in postantennular appendages, inaddition to a Metacyclops-like fifth leg. Two Australian species previously considered members ofGoniocyclops and one as a member of Allocyclops Kiefer, 1932 proved to be relatively closely relatedto each other and quite separate from other members of their respective genera. They are transferredinto a third new genus, Dussartcyclops n. gen., although subdivided into two subgenera: D. (s. str.)uniarticulatus (Karanovic, 2004) n. comb. (type), D. (s. str.) mortoni (Karanovic, 2004) n. comb.,and D. (Barrowcyclops) consensus (Karanovic, 2003) n. comb. They all have a reduced armature ofthe swimming legs (spine formula 2.2.2.2), vermiform habitus, and the fifth leg exopod armed withtwo subequal apical setae, but the subgenus Barrowcyclops n. subgen. has the exopod of the fifthleg fused basally to the somite and the inner spine on the first leg basis absent, in addition to a moreplesiomorphic endopodal armature of the first and fourth legs.