Aspects of the morphology and a review of the taxonomic status of three species of the genus Chonopeltis (Crustacea: Branchiura) from the Orange-Vaal and South West Cape River Systems, South Africa

摘要

Comparative scanning electron microscopical studies were carried out on Chonopeltis australis Boxshall, 1976 collected from different localities in the Orange-Vaal River System in South Africa and on material of Chonopeltis minutus Fryer, 1977 and Chonopeltis australissimus Fryer, 1977 on loan from the Albany Museum, Grahamstown. This elucidates the fine structure of morphological features, which are of taxonomic importance and illustrates the significance of the copulatory structures on the legs as a taxonomic tool. It was also concluded that C. australissimus is the same as C. minutus, with C. australissimus the junior synonym.