Discovery of Notobathynella Schminke, 1973 (syncarida, bathynellacea) in Madagascar

A new species of Parabathynellidae is described from Madagascar. It is shown to be a derived member of the genus Notobathynella. There are two types of 5-segmented antennnae in Parabathynellidae. One is characteristic for the "Cteniobathynella-group" of genera, the other is found in Parabathynella, Chilibathynella, Notobathynella, Hexabathynella, and the new species, so that it is excluded from the, "Cteniobathynella-group". Thoracopod VIII male makes the new species approach Notobathynella and Hexabathynella. It lacks the characteristic features of Hexabathynella but is similar to Notobathynella in several respects (maxillule, maxilla, thoracopods I-VII, uropods, furca, anal operculum). In the characters in which it differs from Notobathynella the apomorphic state is found in the new species. This precludes the definition of a new genus, because that would make Notobathynella a paraphyletic assemblage.