Patagoniaella, PALLARES, 1968

PATAGONIAELLA PALLARES, 1968 View in CoL

Pallares (1968) proposed the genus Patagoniaella for a new species, Patagoniaella vervoorti , from two localities in the vicinity of Puerto Deseado in Patagonia, Argentina, and placed it in the Laophontodinae (which included only Laophontodes T. Scott, 1894 and Paralaophontodes at the time) based on the morphology of the basis in leg 1 and the exopods in legs 2–4 (presence of three outer spines on P2–P4 exp- 3). Although Pallares did not explicitly state the reason for assigning Patagoniaella vervoorti to a new genus, her comparative table suggested that it was based on the different pattern of endopodal segmentation of P2– P4. Patagoniaella vervoorti has not been recorded again since its original description, and discussions about its relationships to other members of the Laophontodinae have remained vague. Cottarelli & Baldari (1987) recognized a certain affinity between Patagoniaella and both Tapholaophontodes and Algensiella , because members of all three genera have reduced swimming legs, displaying a simplified chaetotaxy, and also share a similar ecology, because all are found in marine interstitial waters of the Southern Hemisphere. The latter part of this claim is, strictly speaking, incorrect, because Patagoniaella vervoorti was found abundantly in muddy sapropelic deposits, consisting chiefly