Abstract :
[en] We redescribe two rare species of copepods for the Congo River basin in Africa: Afrocyclops pauliani Lindberg, 1951 listed as extinct by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and Cryptocyclops falsus (Kiefer, 1929), also found in few studies. This is somewhat detailed morphologically and poor in illustrations, and here we
cover this gap presenting a redescription of these species. The organisms were found in the Congo River, in Africa, in four campaigns carried out between 2010 and 2015 on a longitudinal gradient of 1700 km in the main channel and at the mouth of the main tributaries, from 12 samples out of a total of 135. Adult females were redescribed as follows. Afrocyclops pauliani: adult female measuring 630 μm length, excluding caudal
setae, maximum width 186 μm. Last thoracic segment supplied laterally with long bristles. Abdominal segments without ornamentation on the posterior margin. Caudal ramus 7.3 to 8.9 times longer than wide. External terminal setae short, strong, slightly shorter than the dorsal; internal terminal setae slightly shorter than the external one. Relative length relative of caudal ramus seta in relation to the external ones: 1.2; 5.8;
7.2; 1; (1.3). The antenna reaches the middle of the second thoracic segment with the last segment supplied from a denticulate hyaline membrane. P4 with endopodite 3 about 1.7 to 1.9 times longer than wider, with a diminished internal apical spine longer than wide and slightly longer than the segment, measuring about 1.2 to 1.3 times the length of the external apical spine. P5 with longer internal spine and very short spines.
Cryptocyclops falsus: adult female measuring 610 μm length excluding caudal setae, maximum width 178 μm. Species similar to the genus Microcyclops, containing biarticulated swimming legs (P1 to P4) and there are rows of small spinules on the distal margins of basepodite, coxa, segments 1 and 2 and on the spine insertions of the legs 1 to 4 endopods and exopods. The main characteristic of the species appears to be the
enlargement in the median portion of the internal terminal seta of the caudal ramus. This study corroborates others that after many years found species considered disappeared , and when comparing the African river basins with others, it is revealed that there are several gaps in ecological, biogeographical and taxonomic terms.
