Abstract
A unique type of integumental formation is described for several members of the copepod family Pontellidae. This surface attachment structure (SAS) consists of a mass of fine setules arranged in two semicircles on a flattened area of the anterodorsal surface of the cephalosome. Using transmission electron microscopy, the SAS was shown to be continous with the cuticle and not linked to chemo- or mechanosensory cells; its function is purely mechanical. This structure is probably an energy-saving means for these large and heavy neustonts to stay attached to the surface film. The SAS is species-specific and may thus be of potential importance to the systematics and phylogeny of the Pontellidae, in the same manner as integumental pores and sensilla, which form patterns characteristic of several copepod families and genera.
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Communicated by M. Sarà, Genova
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Ianora, A., Miralto, A. & Vanucci, S. The surface attachment structure: a unique type of integumental formation in neustonic copepods. Marine Biology 113, 401–407 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349165
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349165