Morariopsis dumonti n.sp (Crustacea: Copepoda: Harpacticoida) -: a new species from an unsaturated karstic zone in Slovenia

The genus Morariopsis has a disjunct distribution. It has been found in south-eastern Europe and in the Baikal region in Russia. In Europe two species are known, both from the Dinaric region. They have been found in three caves only, but always in puddles filled with percolating water. This indicates that they inhabit an unsaturated karstic environment. A third species, Morariopsis dumonti n.sp has now been found, in the same type of habitat, on several dates, in a small cave in central Slovenia. Males were recorded for the first time in this genus. The new species is related to Morariospsis kieferi Petkovski, 1959 from Dalmatia. The main differences are in the ornamentation of the furca and of the abdominal segments. P5 and particularly endopodite of P4 in males suggest a close relation between Moraria and Morariopsis.