Atlas of Atlantic Ostracods
Taxon details
Macroconchoecia macroreticulata (Ellis, 1984)
- Order:
- MYODOCOPA
- Suborder:
- Halocypridina
- Family:
- Halocyprididae
- Subfamily:
- Conchoecinae
- Size range (females):
- 3.8-4.4 mm
- Size range (males):
- 3.8-4.1 mm
- Depth:
- meso-/bathypelagic
Notes
21 records
This large dramatically sculptured species was described from very deep samples collected in the North Atlantic. It is closely related to M. reticulata, a species that was classified in the ‘spinifera group’ by Müller (1906), and earlier records of this latter species may have included M. macroreticulata. Its known geographical range is 31°N to 5°S and is restricted so to the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Its bathymetric range is 1000-3500m but it is most abundant at depths >2500m. It belongs to a group of species that are similar to M. caudata, but which lack the long spine extensions of the rostra and posterior dorsal corner characteristic of M. caudata. Granata and Caporiacco (1949) had proposed a new genus Macroconchoecia for M. reticulata, which Sylvester-Brady (1961) later designated it as the type species. This species is much larger than its sibling. It lacks the rows of spines that arm the large ridges on the flanks of the carapaces of both M. caudata and spinireticulata. It is an example of how speciation in the halocyprids is repeatedly associated with size differences of approximately √2 (i.e. a doubling in volume).
| All | n | Mean mm | s.d. | Range mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 26 | 4.11 | 0.124 | 3.76-4.44 |
| Male | 20 | 3.80 | 0.158 | 3.60-4.12 |
| A-1 | 18 | 3.11 | 0.191 | 2.68-3.32 |
| A-2 | 3 | 2.41 | 2.28-2.54 |
