Two new Sarsiellinae (Ostracoda: Myodocopa) from Ningaloo Reef (Western Australia), with a cladistic analysis of the subfamily and keys to genera

Researchers have identified two new species of Sarsiellinae ostracods, Spinacopia ningalooi and Metasarsiella caleyi, from the Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia. Spinacopia ningalooi represents the first record of its genus from a coral reef, distinguished by its unique posterior infold structure, while Metasarsiella caleyi marks the first species of this genus reported in Australia. The study provides detailed keys for identifying species within these genera and across the subfamily Sarsiellinae, alongside an inventory of all known species and their distributions. Additionally, the research conducts cladistic analyses using 138 species and 34 morphological characters to reconstruct evolutionary relationships within the subfamily, yielding two sets of phylogenetic trees—one with seven equally parsimonious trees from unweighted analysis and another single tree from weighted character analysis.

Karanovic, I. (2012). Two new Sarsiellinae (Ostracoda: Myodocopa) from Ningaloo Reef (Western Australia), with a cladistic analysis of the subfamily and keys to genera. Journal of Natural History, 46(37-38), 2285–2327. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2012.708455