Earicandona, new genus and the first record of Typhlocypris pratensis (Crustacea, Ostracoda) from South Korea

Abstract

Candoninae is the most diverse group of freshwater ostracods with over 300 living species described from all around the world. However, only 11 species have been reported from South Korea. Considering abundant freshwater ecosystems here this number is very low. It is no wonder that newly collected samples of freshwater meiofauna often contain Candoninae ostracods which are new records for South Korea, or new taxa. Earicandona mounchyon gen. nov. sp. nov. and Typhlocypris (Pseudocandona) pratensis (Hartwig, 1901) were collected from two open freshwater bodies in Gangwon-do, and Gyeongsangbuk-do in South Korea. The new genus is most closely related to the breuili-group of Fabaeformiscandona Krstic, 1972. The most important apomorphic character of the new genus is a hemipenis with a poorly sclerified lobe "g", and prehensile palps with more rounded dorsal margins. Beside the new species, Earicandona contains only E. okuboi (Smith & Janz, 2008) comb. nov. from Lake Biwa. This species was originally described in Fabaeformiscandona, fabaeformis-group. They differ mostly in the morphology of the shell, but also some details of soft body, including the more pronounced genital process in the Korean species. Typhlocypris pratensis was so far known from Europe and this finding significantly broadens its area of distribution. Both Typhlocypris and Earicandona belong to the tribe Candonini and the key to the genera of this tribe is also presented here.