Leptostracans (Crustacea: Phyllocarida) from the Ría de Ferrol (Galicia, NW Iberian Peninsula), with description of a new species of Nebalia Leach, 1814

Abstract

Knowledge on taxonomy and ecology of leptostracan crustaceans is still scarce in many parts of the world. Sampling in subtidal sediments in the Ria of Ferrol (NW Spain) between 2006 and 2007 yielded several leptostracan specimens belonging to six species. This is, so far, the largest number of leptostracan species reported from a single area. Some specimens belong to an undescribed species of Nebalia Leach, 1814, which is described herein as N. reboredae n. sp. The new species has a rostrum about 2.2 times as long as wide, the antennular scale is slightly more than twice as long as wide, the fourth article of the antennule has one short thick distal spine, the first article of the endopod of the second maxilla is 1.3 times as long as the second one, the exopod of the second maxilla is longer than the first article of the endopod, the posterior dorsal borders of pleonites 5-7 are provided with distally rounded to truncated denticles, and the uropods are as long as pleonite 7 and the anal somite combined. All the species collected are reported, including the number of specimens, sexual condition and substrate type. A key to all known neritic species of the Iberian Peninsula is provided.

Keywords

• crustacea
• leptostraca
• nebalia
• sarsinebalia
• subtidal
• sediment
• ría de ferrol
• atlantic