ANCORABOLIDAE Sars, 1909


The family Ancorabolidae is one of the most peculiar and striking taxon within the harpacticoid copepods, esily identifiable by the characteristic morphology and the conspicuous body processes and integumental outgrowths (George, 2000; Conroy-Dalton & Huys, 2000).

The family containing 2 subfamilies, Laophontodinae and Ancorabolinae (George, 1998). [PDF] Ancorabolinae are only rarely found, and their distribution seems to be restricted primarily to the northern hemisphere, with exception of Echinocletodes, 2 species of which have been reported by Dinet (1974) from deep-sea waters off southwestern Africa.

Most representatives of the family, particularly those belonging to the subfamily Ancorabolinae, inhabit primarily muddy bottoms of deep sea, as well as the can be found in different kinds of littoral and sublittoral habitats, including phytal and sandy substrates, from both the northern and southern hemisphere (Milke, 1985, 1986; Fiers, 1988; George, 2000).



SUBFAMILY LAOPHONTODINAE Lang, 1944


LAOPHONTODES T. Scott, 1894

The genus Laophontodes is characterized by 3 outer setae on the terminal exp segment of P2– P4; presence of 2-segmented endopods in females; P1 endopodite prehensile; bases of P2–P4 transversely elongated


  • Laophontodes antarcticus Brady. 1918
  • Laophontodes armatus Lang, 1936 [Bermuda, Falklands; marine]
  • Laophontodes bicornis T. Scott, 1894 [Europe, north Africa; marine]
  • Laophontodes echinatus Lang, 1948
  • Laophontodes expansus Sars , 1908
  • Laophontodes gracilipes Lang, 1948
  • Laophontodes hamatus (Thomson, 1882)
  • Laophontodes latissimus Brady, 1918
  • Laophontodes hegpethi Lang, 1965 [USA; marine]
  • Laophontodes macclintocki Schizas & Shirley, 1994 [Antarctic Sea] [PDF]
  • Laophontodes macropodia Gee & Fleeger, 1986 [Antarctic Sea]
  • Laophontodes mourois Arroyo, George, Benito & Maldonado, 2003 [Spain; marine] [PDF]
  • Laophontodes ornatus Krishnaswamy, 1957 [India; marine]
  • Laophontodes propinquus Brady, 1910
  • Laophontodes psammophilus Soyer, 1975 [Kerguelen; mesopsammon]
  • Laophontodes spongiosus Schizas & Shirley, 1994 [Antarctic Sea] [PDF]
  • Laophontodes typicus T. Scott, 1894 [north Europe; marine]
  • Laophontodes withsoni T. Scott, 1912 [Europe; marine]


    LOBOPLEURA Conroy-Dalton, 2004 [PDF]

  • Lobopleura ambiducti Conroy-Dalton, 2004 [Scotland; sandy beach] [PDF]
  • Lobopleura expansa (Sars, 1908) [north Europe; marine] [PDF]


    PROBOSCIPHONTODES Fiers, 1988

  • Probosciphontodes ptenopostica Fiers, 1988 [?; ?]
  • Probosciphontodes stellata Fiers, 1988 [?; ?]



    SUBFAMILY ANCORABOLINAE Sars, 1909


    Recently Conroy-Dalton & Huys (2000) recognized an "Ancorabolus-group" within the subfamily Ancorabolinae, including Ancorabolus, Arthropsyllus and three new genera : Breviconia, Juxtaramia and Uptionyx.

    The common ancestry of the above genera "is supported by antennular segmentation, rostral morphology, cephalothoracic sensillar patterns, presnece of lateral body processes, elongation of P1 endopod, segmentation of male P3 endopod and P5 armature in both sexes" (Conroy-Dalton & Huys, 2000; Gomez & Conroy-Dalton, 2002).

    More recently Conroy-Dalton (2003) reviewed the systematics and phylogeny of the family Ancorabolidae, adding Dendropsyllus as new genus.


    ANCORABOLUS Norman, 1903

  • Ancorabolus confusus Conroy-Dalton & Huys, 2000 [Norway; marine deep mud]
  • Ancorabolus hendrickxi Gomez & Conroy-Dalton, 2002 [PDF]
  • Ancorabolus ilvae George, 2001 [Magellan Straits]
  • Ancorabolus inermis Conroy-Dalton & Huys, 2000 [Norway; marine deep mud]
  • Ancorabolus mirabilis Norman, 1903 [north Europe; marine]

    SPECIES INQUIRENDA

  • Ancorabolus ilvae George, 2001


    ARTHROPSYLLUS Sars, 1909

  • Arthropsyllus australis K. H. George, 1998 [Chile; marine] [PDF]
  • Arthropsyllus serratus Sars, 1909 [Europe; marine]
  • Arthropsyllus serratus var. spinifera Norman, 1911 [Scotland; marine]


    ANCORABOLINA George, 2006

  • Ancoraboilina chimera George, 2006


    BREVICONIA Conroy-Dalton & Huys, 2000 [PDF]

  • Breviconia australis (George, 1998) [Chile; marine] [PDF]
  • Breviconia echinata (Brady, 1918) [Antarctic Ocean] [PDF]


    JUXTARAMIA Conroy-Dalton & Huys, 2000 [PDF]

  • Juxtaramia polaris Conroy-Dalton & Huys, 2000 [Norway; marine] [PDF]


    UPTIONYX Conroy-Dalton & Huys, 2000 [PDF]

  • Uptionyx verenae Conroy-Dalton & Huys, 2000 [Northeastern Pacific] [PDF]


    ECHINOPSYLLUS Sars, 1909

  • Echinopsyllus normani Sars, 1909 [north Europe; marine] [PDF]


    CERATONOTUS Sars, 1909

  • Ceratonotus coineaui Soyer, 1964 [France; marine]
  • Ceratonotus concavus Conroy-Dalton, 2003 [Mediterranean; marine]
  • Ceratonotus pectinatus Conroy-Dalton, 2003 [Norway; marine]
  • Ceratonotus thistlei Conroy-Dalton, 2003 [North Pacific Ocean] [PDF]
  • Ceratonotus pectinatus Sars, 1909 [Norway; marine coastal waters] [PDF]
  • Ceratonotus pectinatus Sars elaphus Por, 1965 [Europe; marine]
  • Ceratonotus steiningeri George, 2006 [?; ?]
  • Ceratonotus tauroides George, 2006 [?; ?]
  • Ceratonotus vareschii George, 2006 [?; ?]


    ARTHURICORNUA Conroy-Dalton, 2001 [PDF]

  • Arthuricornua anendopodia Conroy-Dalton, 2001 [Northeastern Pacific] [PDF]


    ECHINOCLETODES Lang, 1936

  • Echinocletodes bodini Dinet, 1974 [Europe; marine]
  • Echinocletodes walvisi Dinet, 1974 [Europe; marine]
  • Echinocletodes armatus Lang, 1948


    PARALAOPHONTODES Lang, 1965

  • Paralaophontodes echinatus (Willey, 1930) [Bermuda, Falklands; marine] *
  • Paralaophontodes elegans Baldari & Cottarelli, 1986 [Philippines; marine interstitial]
  • Paralaophontodes exopoditus Mielke, 1981 [Galapagos; marine interstitial]

    * syn. Laophontodes robustus Bozic, 1964; Paralaophontodes robustus sensu Bodin, 1967


    DORSICERATUS Drzycimski, 1967

  • Dorsiceratus octocornis Drzycimski, 1967 [Norway; marine]
  • Dorsiceratus triarticulatus Coull, 1973 [USA; marine]
  • Dorsiceratus ursulae George, 2006 [?; ?]


    PATAGONIAELLA Pallares, 1968

  • Patagoniaella vervoorti Pallares, 1968 [Patagonia; marine]


    TAPHLOLAOPHONTODES Soyer, 1975

  • Taphlolaophontodes laurenceae Bodiou & Colomines, 1988 [Kerguelen; mesopsammon]
  • Taphlolaophontodes remotus Cottarelli & Baldari, 1987 [Macquarie Island; marine interstitial]
  • Taphlolaophontodes rollandi Soyer, 1975 [Kerguelen; mesopsammon]


    ALGENSIELLA Cottarelli & Baldari, 1987

  • Algensiella boitanii Cottarelli & Baldari, 1987 [Macquarie Island; marine interstitial]


    POLYASCOPHORUS George, 2000

  • Polyascophorus martinezi George, 2000 [Barents Sea]
  • Polyascophorus schminkei George, 2000 [Weddell Sea]
  • Polyascophorus gorbunovi (Smirnov, 1946) [Arctic Ocean]


    DENDROPSYLLUS Conroy-Dalton, 2003 [PDF]

  • Dendropsyllus thomasi Conroy-Dalton, 2003 [North Pacific Ocean] [PDF]
  • Dendropsyllus antarcticus (George & Schminke, 1998) [Weddell Sea, Antarctic] [PDF]
  • Dendropsyllus magellanicus (George & Schminke, 1998) [Chile; marine] [PDF]


    PSEUDECHINOPSYLLUS George, 2006

  • Pseudechinopsyllus sindemarkae George, 2006 [?; ?]



    RELEVANT LITERATURE


    Arroyo N. L. , George K. H , Benito J. & M. Maldonado. 2003. A new species of Ancorabolidae (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) from the northern coast of Spain: Laophontodes mourois sp. n. Hydrobiologia 498: 169–176.

    Conroy-Dalton S. & R. Huys. 2000. Systematics and phylogeny of the Ancorabolidae (Copepoda: Harpacticoida). I. The Ancorabolus-lineage, with the description of three new genera. Cah. Biol. Mar., 41: 343-397.

    Conroy-Dalton S. 2003. Systematics and Phylogeny of the Ancorabolidae (Copepoda: Harpacticoida). III. Description of two new species of Ceratonotus Sars and Dendropsyllus, new genus. J. Crust. Biol., 23 (1): 69-93

    George K.H. 1998. A new species of Ancorabolidae (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) from the Belgian Channel (Chile). Hydrobiologia, 379: 23-32.

    George K.H. 1998. Polyascophorus, a new genus of Ancorabolidae (Crustacea, Copepoda), including the description of two new species and the re-allocation of Ceratonotus gorbunovi. Vie et Milieu, 48 (3): 141-155.

    Gomez S. & S. Conroy-Dalton. 2002. Description of Ancorabolus hendrickxi sp.nov. (Copepoda: Harpacticoida: Ancorabolidae) from the neotropics and notes on caudal ramus development within oligoarthran harpacticoids. Cah. Biol.Mar., 43: 111-129.



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