ECTINOSOMATIDAE Sars, 1903


Syn.: Ectinosomidae Sars, 1903 (1911); Olofsson, 1917; Monard, 1927; Rose, 1933; Lang, 1948; 1965; Gonzalez & Bowman, 1965;Zheng Zhong & al.,1984 (1989). ?Ectinosomatoidea Sars, 1903 was synonymized with Ectinosomatidae Sars, 1903, as both taxa enclose the same species.


The family Ectinosomidae was established by Sars (1904) and later discussed by Olofsson (1917), who also provided a key to five, in that time known, genera. Later on, systematic changes on a family level were made by Lang (1944, 1948, 1965) who also provided very useful keys to genera. The family name was corrected to Ectinosomatidae by Moore (1978), according to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.

At present the family Ectinosomatidae encompasses 233 species and subspecies, grouped into 21 valid genera (Bodin, 1997): Arenosetella Wilson, 1932; Bradya Boeck, 1972; Bradyellopsis Brian, 1924; Ectinosoma Boeck, 1865; Halectinosoma Lang, 1944; Halophytophilus Brian, 1917; Hastigerella Nicholls, 1935; Klieosoma Hicks & Schriever, 1985; Lineosoma Wells, 1965; Microsetella Brady & Robertson, 1873; Noodtiella Wells, 1965; Pseudectinosoma Kunz, 1935; Pseudobradya Sars, 1904; Sigmatidium Giesbrecht, 1881; Ectinosomella Sars, 1910; Ectinosomoides Nicholls, 1945; Oikopus Wells, 1967; Peltobradya Medioni & Soyer, 1967; Tetanopis Brady, 1910; Rangabradya Karanovic & Pesce, 2001.

Last six genera are monospecific, while the genus Bradya is subdivided into two subgenera: Bradya s. str. and Parabradya Lang, 1944. Recently Seifried, Plum & Schulz (2007) consider Parabradya as distinct genus.

Only the genus Pseudectinosoma includes exclusive freshwater species;all the other genera are marine, with a few freshwater species.

Lang (1965) pointed out two distinct evolutionary lineages within the family Ectinosomatidae: one comprising genera with rectangular cephalothorax and linear body shape, the other with a cephalothorax gradually attenuated in front and fusiform body shape.

Species of the family Ectinosomatidae (except those old species, not completely described and illustred) are characterized by carrying one or two setae on the distal margin of the cutting edge of the mandible; these setae are absent in all other copepod species, and "there is no doubt that the Ectinisomatidae are monophyletic" (Seifried, 1997).



Arenosetella Wilson, 1932

Bradya Boeck, 1872

Bradyellopsis Brian, 1924

Ectinosoma Boeck, 1865

Ectinosomella Sars, 1910

Ectinosomoides Nicholls, 1945

Halectinosoma Lang, 1944, 1965

Halophytophilus Brian, 1917

Hastigerella Nicholls, 1935

Klieosoma Hicks & Schriever, 1985 *

Lineosoma Wells, 1965

Microsetella Brady & Robertson, 1873

Noodtiella Wells, 1965

Oikopus Wells, 1967

Parabradya Lang 1944

Peltobradya Medioni & Soyer, 1967

Pseudectinosoma Kunz, 1935

Pseudobradya Sars, 1904

Rangabradya Karanovic & Pesce, 2001

Sigmatidium Giesbrecht, 1881

Tetanopsis Brady, 1910


* synonym: Kliella Hicks & Schriver, 1983 (Bodin, 1997)



ARENOSETELLA Wilson, 1932

  • Arenosetella balakrishnani Bozic, 1967 [India; marine interstitial]
  • Arenosetella bassantae Mitwally & Montagna, 2001 [Egypt; sandy beaches] [PDF]
  • Arenosetella bidenta Ito, 1972 [Japan; marine interstitial]
  • Arenosetella duriensis Galhano, 1970 [Portugal: marine interstitial]
  • Arenosetella fimbriaticauda McLachlan & Moore, 1978 [south Africa; sandy beaches, interstitial]
  • Arenosetella fissilis Wilson, 1932 [USA; marine interstitial]
  • Arenosetella germanica germanica Kunz,1937 [Pontomediterranean, Africa, India, Panama, Madagascar, Chile, Brazil; marine interstitial]
  • Arenosetella germanica galapagoensis Mielke, 1979 [Galapagos; marine interstitial]
  • Arenosetella incerta Chappuis, 1954 [Mediterranean; marine interstitial]
  • Arenosetella indica Krishnaswamy, 1957 [India; marine interstitial]
  • Arenosetella kaiseri Lang, 1965 [USA; marine interstitial]
  • Arenosetella limnophila Sterba, 1967 [URSS; fresh waters]
  • Arenosetella littoralis Bodin, 1979 [France; marine interstitial]
  • Arenosetella longiseta Kunz, 1983 [Azores; littoral psammon]
  • Arenosetella kaiseri Lang, 1965 [USA; psammon]
  • Arenosetella macronychospina Mielke, 1981 [Panama; marine interstitial]
  • Arenosetella madagascariensis Lang, 1965 [Madagascar; marine interstitial]
  • Arenosetella panamensis Mielke, 1981 [Panama; marine interstitial]
  • Arenosetella rouchi Lang, 1965 [Brazil; marine interstitial]
  • Arenosetella spinicauda Wilson, 1932 [USA; marine interstitial
  • Arenosetella tenuissima (Klie, 1929) [north Europe, Bahamas; marine interstitial]
  • Arenosetella tricornis Wells & Rao, 1987 [Andaman, Nicobar; psammon]
  • Arenosetella vinadelmarensis Mielke, 1986 [Chile; sandy beaches]


    BRADYA Boeck, 1872

    Lang (1944) subdivided the genus Bradya into two subgenera, Bradya and Parabradya, based on the differences in P5 segmentation, the exopod being fused to the baseoendopod in Parabradya but being distinct in Bradya.

    Recently, on the basis of some morphological differences and autapomorphies. Seifried et al. (2007) upgraded the above subgenera to generic rank [[PDF]].


  • Bradya cladiofera Lang, 1965 [USA; psammon]
  • Bradya congenera Sars, 1920 [Europe, Israel; psammon]
  • Bradya furcata Sars, 1920 [Norway; mud]
  • Bradya longispinosa Jaschnov, 1927 *
  • Bradya macrochaeta Sar, 1920 [Norway; mud]
  • Bradya minutiseta Soyer, 1973 [France; marine]
  • Bradya proxima T. Scott, 1912 [North Sea; ?]
  • Bradya scotti Sars, 1920 [Europe; marine coastal sediments]
  • Bradya simulans sars, 1920 [Europe; muddy sand]
  • Bradya theodori Soyer, 1973 [France; marine]
  • Bradya typica Boeck, 1872 [Europe, Arctic; marine, sublittoral mud]

    * questionable species


    PARABRADYA Lang, 1944


  • Parabradya atlantica Bodin, 1968 [France; psammon]
  • Parabradya confluens (Lang, 1936) [Spitzbergen; marine]
  • Parabradya bodini Bozic, 1969 [France; psammon]
  • Parabradya dilatata Sars, 1904 [Europe; marine coastal sediments]
  • Parabradya pugiochaeta Arlt, 1983 [Baltic sea] *
  • Parabradya samsoni Seifried, Penn & Schulz, 2007 [Angola; deep sea] [PDF]

    * questionable species


    BRADYELLOPSIS Brian, 1924

  • Bradyellopsis arupinensis Steuer, 1941 [Italy; sea waters]
  • Bradyellopsis briani Steuer, 1941 [Egypt; psammon]
  • Bradyellopsis foliatus Watkins, 1987 [USA; psammon]
  • Bradyellopsis subniger subniger Brian, 1924 [Italy; sea waters]
  • Bradyellopsis subniger inconcinna Brian, 1924
  • Bradyellopsis tumidus Brian, 1924 [Italy; sea waters]


    ECTINOSOMOIDES Nicholls, 1945

  • Ectinosomoides longipes Nicholls, 1945 [Australia; marine interstitial]


    HALOPHYTOPHILUS Brian, 1917

  • Halophytophilus fusiformis Brian, 1918 [France, Italy, north Africa; psammon]
  • Halophytophilus lopheliae Gheerardyn et al., 2008 [NE Atlantic]
  • Halophytophilus similis Lang, 1948 [Summer islands; mud sediments]
  • Halophytophilus simplex Wells & Rao, 1987 [Nicobar, Andaman; psammon]
  • Halophytophilus spinicornis Sars, 1920 [Norway; mud sediments]


    KLIEOSOMA Hicks & Schriever, 1985

  • Klieosoma aberrans Wells & Rao, 1987 [Andman, Nicobar; psammon]
  • Klieosoma spinosum Hicks & Schriever, 1985 [Eckerford, Kieler; sea waters]
  • Klieosoma triarticulatum (Klie, 1949) [Helgoland; on Laminaria, gravels]


    HASTIGERELLA Nicholls, 1935

  • Hastigerella abbotti abbotti Lang, 1965 [USA, France; marine interstitial]
  • Hastigerella abbotti santacruzensis Mielke, 1979 [Galapagos; marine interstitial]
  • Hastigerella antarctica Dahms & Schminke, 1992 [Antarctic, weddell Sea]
  • Hastigerella bengalensis Rao, 1972 [India; marine interstitial]
  • Hastigerella bodini Apostolov, 1974 [Bulgaria, Black sea; marine interstitial]
  • Hastigerella boziici Soyer, 1974 [France, england, south Africa;marine interstitial]
  • Hastigerella clavata (Rao & Ganapati, 1969) [India; coastal interstitial]
  • Hastigerella chappuisi Soyer, 1974 [France; marine interstitial]
  • Hastigerella leptoderma (Klie, 1929) [Europe, USA; littoral interstitial]
  • Hastigerella mehauinensis Mielke, 1986 [Chile; psammon]
  • Hastigerella meridionalis (Chappuis, 1954) [France; marine interstitial]
  • Hastigerella monniotae Guille & Soyer, 1966 [France; marine interstitial]
  • Hastigerella noodti (Rao & Ganapati, 1969) [India; coastal interstitial]
  • Hastigerella palpilabra (Nicholls, 1935) [Scotland; marine] *
  • Hastigerella psammae (Noodt, 1955) [Europe, USA; marine interstitial]
  • Hastigerella scheibeli Mielke, 1975 [Germany; marine interstitial]
  • Hastigerella setosa (Rao & Ganapati, 1969) [India; coastal interstitial]
  • Hastigerella soyeri Bodin, 1979 [France; marine interstitial]
  • Hastigerella unisetosa (Wells, 1965) [Scotland; marine muds]

    * questionable species


    LINEOSOMA Wells, 1965

  • Lineosoma chilensis Mielke, 1987 [Chile; psammon]
  • Lineosoma enertha (Lindgren, 1975) [USA; marine interstitial]
  • Lineosoma intermedia (Wells, 1967)[Africa, Mozambico; marine interstitial]
  • Lineosoma iscensis Wells, 1965 [England; marine interstitial]


    MICROSETELLA Brady & Robertson, 1873

  • Microsetella norvegica (Boeck, 1865) [cosmopolitan, coastal marine waters, planktonic]
  • Microsetella rosea (Dana, 1848) [Brazil, Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, Mediterranean and Red Seas; pelagic and coastal marine waters, planktonic]


    OIKOPUS Wells, 1967

  • Oikopus rostrilabrus Wells, 1967 [Africa, Mozambico;marine interstitial]


    PELTOBRADYA Medioni & Soyer, 1967

  • Peltobradya bryozoophila Medioni & Soyer, 1967 [France; sea waters]


    PSEUDOBRADYA Sars, 1904

  • Pseudobradya acuta Sars, 1904 [Norway, Italy, Alaska?; ?]
  • Pseudobradya ambigua Sars, 1920 [Norway; marine]
  • Pseudobradya arctica Olofsson, 1917 [Baltic Sea] [PDF]
  • Pseudobradya attenuata Sars, 1920 [Norway; marine]
  • Pseudobradya banyulensis Soyer, 1974 [West Mediterranean]
  • Pseudobradya barroisi (Richard, 1893) [Caspian sea, Tiberias sea]
  • Pseudobradya beduina beduina Monard, 1935 [north Africa; sea waters]
  • Pseudobradya beduina faialensis Kunz, 1983 [Azores; psammon]
  • Pseudobradya brevicaudata Soyer, 1974 [West Mediterranean]
  • Pseudobradya brevicornis T. Scott, 1893 [Scotland; marine]
  • Pseudobradya cornuta Lang, 1965 [USA; sea waters]
  • Pseudobradya crassipes Lang, 1965 [USA; sea waters]
  • Pseudobradya digitata Sars, 1920 [Norway; marine]
  • Pseudobradya distinctum Wells, 1968 [Scilly island; psammon]
  • Pseudobradya elegans (T. & A. Scott, 1894) [north Europe; marine]
  • Pseudobradya exilis Sars, 1920 [Norway; marine]
  • Pseudobradya fusca (T. & A. Scott, 1894) [north Europe; marine]
  • Pseudobradya hirsuta (T.A. Scott, 1894) [north Europe;marine]
  • Pseudobradya kusnezovi Chislenko, 1967 [White sea, Karelian coast]
  • Pseudobradya lanceta Coull, 1986 [USA; beach interstitial]
  • Pseudobradya leptognatha Sars, 1920 [north Europe; marine]
  • Pseudobradya major (Olofsson, 1917) [north Europe, Alaska; lakes]
  • Pseudobradya maxima Lang, 1935 [Skagerrack; marine]
  • Pseudobradya minor (T.A. Scott, 1894) [north Europe; marine, muddy sand]
  • Pseudobradya oligochaeta Chislenko, 1967 [White sea, Karelian coast]
  • Pseudobradya parvula Sars, 1920 [Norway; marine]
  • Pseudobradya pectinifera Lang, 1965 [USA; sea waters]
  • Pseudobradya peresi Soyer, 1974 [West Mediterranean]
  • Pseudobradya psammophila Bodiou, 1975 [France; marine interstitial]
  • Pseudobradya pulchera Lang, 1965 [USA; sea waters]
  • Pseudobradya pygmaea Sars, 1920 [Norway, Italy; marine]
  • Pseudobradya quoddiensis Willey, 1930 [Canada; marine]
  • Pseudobradya robusta Sars, 1910 [Norway; marine]
  • Pseudobradya rhea Bodin, 1979 [France; psammon]
  • Pseudobradya scabriuscula Sars, 1920 [Norway; marine]
  • Pseudobradya similis (T.A. Scott, 1894) [north Europe; marine, muddy sand]
  • Pseudobradya soyeri Bodiou, 1975 [France; marine interstitial]
  • Pseudobradya spinulosa Soyer, 1974 [West Mediterranean]
  • Pseudobradya tenella Sars, 1920 [Norway; marine]
  • Pseudobradya truncatiseta Soyer, 1974 [West Mediterranean]
  • Pseudobradya usitata Noodt, 1964 [Roten sea]

    Incertae or poorly described species: P. proxima Brady, 1910; P. pulchella Sars, 1920; P. pelobates Jakobi, 1954; P. pelogonos Jakobi, 1954; P. pelotrophos Jakobi, 1954; P. aff. hirsuta Por, 1964.


    SIGMATIDIUM Giesbrecht, 1881

  • Sigmatidium difficile Giesbrecht, 1881 [Germany; sea waters, algae, muds]
  • Sigmatidium kunzi Mielke, 1979 [Galapagos; psammon]
  • Sigmatidium noodti Kunz, 1975 [France; psammon]
  • Sigmatidium parvulum Mielke, 1974 [Spitzbergen; coastal waters]
  • Sigmatidium rouchi Kunz, 1975 [France; psammon]
  • Sigmatidium triarticulatum Mielke, 1979 [Galapagos; psammon]


    TETANOPSIS Brady, 1910

  • Tetanopsis mediterranea (Chappuis, 1954) [France, marine interstitial]
  • Tetanopsis typicus Lang, 1948
  • Tetanopsis medius Perkins. 1956
  • Tetanopsis smithi Perkins, 1956


    ECTINOSOMELLA Sars, 1910

  • Ectinosomella nitidula Sars, 1910 [Norway; sea, pelagic]


    RANGABRADYA Karanovic & Pesce, 2001 [PDF]

  • Rangabradya indica Karanovic & Pesce, 2001 [India; freshwater bore wells] [PDF]



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