title: Two new stygobiotic species of Elaphoidella (Crustacea: Copepoda: Harpacticoida) with comments on geographical distribution and ecology of harpacticoids from caves in Thailand.
abstract: Elaphoidella thailandensis sp. nov. and E. jaesornensis sp. nov., collected during an investigation of cave-dwelling copepod fauna in the northern part of Thailand, are described and figured herein. The new species were collected from pools filled by percolating water from the unsaturated zone of a karstic aquifer in Phitsanulok and Lampang Provinces, respectively. Elaphoidella thailandensis, from Tham Khun cave, is distinguished from its congeners by the two-segmented endopod of pediger 1, the absence of endopod on pediger 4, and the setal formula 4, 5, 6 for the distal exopodal segment of pedigers 2-4. Elaphoidella jaesornensis, from Tham Phar Ngam cave, is distinguished from its most closely related species, E. namnaoensis Brancelj, Watiroyram & Sanoamuang, 2010, by the armature formula of the endopod of pedigers 2-5. The geographical distribution and ecology of Harpacticoida from Thai caves is also presented.
authors.affiliation: Applied Taxonomic Research Center, Faculty of Science, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand Division of Biology, Faculty of Science, Nakhon Phanom University, Nakhon Phanom 48000, Thailand; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Santi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Watiroyram
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Email: unknown.
authors.forename: Anton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brancelj
authors.affiliation: Applied Taxonomic Research Center, Faculty of Science, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand International College, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand; Email: la_orsri@kku.ac.th.
authors.forename: La-Orsri
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Sanoamuang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059552:Caves; D033342:Copepoda / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification*; D017753:Ecosystem; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D013785:Thailand