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Valve surface structure of Candona neglecta Sars, 1887 (Crustacea, Ostracoda)

Claude Meisch, Karel Wouters

 Abstract

The valves of Candona neglecta Sars, 1887, a common freshwater ostracod occurring throughout the Holarctic, were formerly described to bear tiny tubercles and spinules. It is here shown with the help of the scanning electron microscope that the valves of this species actually appear to be smooth. The tubercles and spinules described by previous authors correspond to conspicuously wide pore canals that mimic tiny surface structures when observed in the stereomicroscope. The taxonomic importance of this character is briefly discussed and a diagnosis of the neglecta-group of Candona Baird, 1845 is given. The genus name Neglecandona, which was introduced in 2001, is unavailable in the sense of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.