First record of a rare copepod Lucicutia hulsemannae Markhaseva & Ferrari, 2005 (Calanoida, Lucicutiidae) for the South China Sea.

The calanoid copepod Lucicutia hulsemannae Markhaseva & Ferrari, 2005 has, until now, only been recorded from the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, i.e., in its description as a new species. The present study now reports L. hulsemannae for the first time from the southern basin of the South China Sea (7°59.57′N 113°0.1′E), at depths of 500-800 m. The main morphological characteristics of females of this species are: (i) Cephalosome with a pair of strong, triangular, lateral protrusions; (ii) plug of genital double-somite conical in lateral view, with swollen base; (iii) second urosomal somite significantly wider and shorter than third; (iv) inner marginal seta of second exopodal segment of fifth pereiopod (P5) thin towards its tip. This finding considerably expands the reported global distribution of L. hulsemannae , at the same time updating the checklist of copepods for Chinese waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]