Revision of the thamnocephalid Genus Phallocryptus (Crustacea; Branchiopoda; Anostraca)
Author
Rogers, D. Christopher
text
Zootaxa
2003
257
1
14
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.156887
8cc66a63-7b05-4622-8ee1-8db1c5facdd8
11755326
156887
Phallocryptus sublettei
(
Sissom, 1976
)
new combination
(
Figure 1
b, 3af)
Branchinella
sp.
Sublette & Sublette, 1967
Branchinella
sp.
Sissom, 1971
Branchinella
sp.
Horne, 1974
Branchinella sublettei
Sissom, 1976
“
Branchinella arlica
” Belk
(Undescribed
holotype
(143837) and
paratypes
(143838) deposited at the USNM)
Diagnosis
:
Male
: Cephalic appendages absent. First antennae three to four times as long as eye plus stalk. Second antennal proximal segment subequal in length to first antennae, subcylindrical, medial surface with small spines. Second antennal distal segment twice as long as proximal segment, arcuate, curving medially, and tapering to an acute apex. Medial surface of distal segment with a longitudinal row of small denticulate spines. Praeepipodite entire. Ventral surface genital segments without tubercles. First abdominal segment (first postgenital segment) without a medialventral spine–like projection on the distal margin of the segment. Each abdominal segment with a stout, distal, ventrolateral spine, directed ventrolaterally.
FIGURE 3.
Phallocryptus sublettei
: A) male left side of head, anterior view; B) female left side of head, anterior view; C) male, left side of head, lateral view; D) male genitalia (everted) and abdomen, posteriorventrallateral view; E) female, brood pouch, ventral view; F) female, brood pouch, lateral view.
Female
. First antennae nearly four times as long as eye plus stalk, subequal in length to second antennae. Second antennae nearly joined basalmedially, slightly produced medially. Second antennae lamellar, bearing a basallateral slightly elevated region with scattered spines, apex tapering to a subacute tip. Brood pouch triangulatepyriform, with paired basallateral and a single basalmedial projection. Each brood pouch projection is directed ventroposteriorly. Brood pouch extends to the third or fourth abdominal segment, tapering posteriorly to apex. Gonopore produced distally, with dorsal “lip” longer than ventral lip. Abdominal segments without ventrallateral spines.
Resting cyst
: Subspherical with shallow suboval depressions, with a slit shape in the base of each depression. Depressions are separated by thin ridges.
Type
Locality
.
USA
, Texas, a saline playa (pan) near Tahoka.
Type
.
Holotype
, allotype, and
paratypes
(USNM143958, 143959 and 143960, respectively) deposited at the
USNM
.
Distribution
.
USA
, Texas, Lynn, Terry and Gaines Counties on the Llano Estracado (the northwestern Texas highlands) (
Sublette & Sublette, 1967
;
Horne, 1974
), and Hudspeth County (
Belk & Sissom, 1992
). New
Mexico
: Otero County at Crow Flats (Rogers & Lang, in prep). The saline habitats at Crow Flats are nearly contiguous with the Hudspeth County, Texas saline pools. This species may also occur in
México
.
Habitat
. Ephemeral saline lakes and pools.
Activity Period
. August to October, depending upon rain fall.
Comments
. Coocurrs with
Branchinecta campestris
Lynch, 1960 (
Sublette & Sublette, 1967
)
,
Artemia franciscana
Kellogg, 1906
and
Streptocephalus texanus
Packard, 1871 (
Horne, 1974
)
.
Conservation status
. This species appears to be relictual, currently reported from only seven sites in Texas and New
Mexico
(
Sublette & Sublette, 1967
;
Horne, 1974
;
Belk & Sissom, 1992
; Rogers & Lang, in prep). As it stands, this species meets the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) red list criteria for designation as a VU 2D2 species (IUCN, 2000). That is to say, this taxon is vulnerable due to the population being very small and restricted, that may be prone to the effects of human activities or stochastic events within a short period of time.
Material examined
:
USA
:
NEW
MEXICO
: Otero County: Crow Flats, numerous cysts,
20 September 2000
, D.C. Rogers, B. K. Lang.
TEXAS
Hudspeth County: Crow Flats at Highway 82/180,
30
males,
30 females
,
23 September 1986
, D. Belk.