First report of the genus Rhyncholagena Lang, 1944 from the South China Sea, with the description of a new species (Crustacea, Copepoda, Harpacticoida, Miraciidae)

Abstract. During analysis of sediment samples from South China Sea, a new species belonging to the genus Rhyncholagena Lang, 1944 was found and described here. Rhyncholagenaparaspinifersp. n. differs from its congeners by the following combined characteristics: body ornamented dorsally with at least one row of spinules on each somite except penultimate urosomite; A2 exopod two-segmented; P1 enp-2 with one inner seta; P3 exp-3 with two inner setae, P3 enp-2 with one inner seta; female P5 exopod with five setae; male P5 baseoendopod with two setae and exopod with four setae. This is the first report of the genus Rhyncholagena in the China seas. In addition, a key to all valid species of Rhyncholagena is given, along with tables of morphological characters of all valid species and their distributions.