As regard this inadequately characterized, monospecific genus, long since Dussart & Defaye (1985) pointed out its incomplete description and illustrations; later on Reid (1993) too remarked the absence of adequate figures in Plesa's description, hypothesizing as well that both segments of leg 5 could be distinct in this genus. Nevertheless, recent re-examination of the type material (Plesa, in litt.) revealed that the nominate leg is composed of a single free segment and confirmed the taxonomic validity of Teratocyclops. More recently, Iepure & Defaye (2003) redefined the genus, giving the following distinctive characteristics:
11-segmented antennule, presence of vestigial
exopodite on the antenna, structure of the distal
segment of the endopodite of leg P4 with 1 spine and 3 setae, and the proximal segment of leg 5 fused
to the somite. The relationship to the closely related genera Metacyclops Kiefer, 1927, Apocyclops
Lindberg, 1942, and Goniocyclops Kiefer, 1955 are also discussed by the same authors.
"Some other genera of the family Cyclopidae share with Teratocyclops the
following morphological characters of the P5 and the antennule: on P5, the
proximal segment having the proximal segment completely fused with the somite
and represented by a long seta, and the distal (free) segment ending with 2
setae or spines; the female antennule 10- or 11-segmented. These genera are:
Metacyclops Kiefer, 1927 sensu Lindberg, 1961, Muscocyclops Kiefer, 1937,
Apocyclops Lindberg, 1942, Menzeliella Lindberg, 1954, Goniocyclops Kiefer,
1955, Cochlacocyclops Kiefer, 1955, Hesperocyclops Herbst, 1984, Fimbricyclops
Reid, 1993, and Rheocyclops Reid & Strayer, 1999 (in Reid et al., 1999).
Among these genera, seven have the same biarticulate structure of the swimming
legs: Fimbricyclops, Muscocyclops, Apocyclops, Menzeliella, Metacyclops,
Goniocyclops and Cochlacocyclops. Hesperocyclops has the endopodite of P4 unisegmented
(Herbst, 1984; Rocha & Bjornberg, 1987) and Rheocyclops has P1 to P4 basically tri-segmented, with some species with bi-segmented rami (Reid et al.,
1999)" (from: Iepure & Defaye, 2003)
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DEFAYE, D., 1992. Metacyclops hannensis n. sp. (Crustacea, Copepoda, Cyclopoida), un cyclopide
nouveau du Sénégal. Rev. Hydrobiol. trop., 25: 145-151.
DEFAYE, D., C. CUOC & R.-M. BARTHÉLÉMY, 2003. A new interpretation of the female genitalia
in Macrocyclops albidus (Copepoda, Cyclopidae). Acta Zoologica, 84: 25-31.
DEFAYE, D. & B. H. DUSSART, 1988. Compléments à la faune des Crustacés Copépodes des eaux
intérieures de Guyane française. Rev. Hydrobiol. trop., 21: 109-125.
HERBST, H. V., 1984. Amsterdamexpeditions to the West Indian Islands, report 40: Hesperocyclops
improvisus n. g., n. sp., ein neuer Cyclopoide (Crustacea, Copepoda) von den westindischen
Inseln. Bijdragen tot de Dierkunde, Amsterdam, 54: 66-72.
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PESCE, G. L., P. DE LAURENTIIS & W. F. HUMPHREYS, 1996. Copepods from groundwaters
of Western Australia. I. The genera Metacyclops, Mesocyclops, Microcyclops and Apocyclops
(Crustacea: Copepoda: Cyclopidae). Records of the Western Australian Museum, 18: 67-76.
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153: 121-138.
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cushae, new species, from Louisiana. Journ. Crust. Biol., 11: 639-646.
— —, 1993. Fimbricyclops jimhensoni, new genus, new species (Copepoda: Cyclopoida: Cyclopidae)
from bromeliads in Puerto Rico. Journ. Crust. Biol., 13: 383-392.
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new subspecies (Crustacea: Copepoda) from Lago de Tota, Colombia. Proc. biol. Soc.
Washington, 103: 674-680.
REID, J. W, D. L. STRAYER, J. V. MCARTHUR, S. E. STIBBE & J. J. LEWIS, 1999. Rheocyclops,
a new genus of copepods from the southeastern and central U.S.A. (Copepoda: Cyclopoida:
Cyclopidae). Journ. Crust. Biol., 19: 384-396.
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(Cyclopoida, Cyclopidae). Hydrobiologia, 153: 97-107.
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