Genus Tanycypris Triebel, 1959
Superfamily: Cypridoidea Baird, 1845
Family: Cyprididae Baird, 1845
Subfamily: Cypricercinae McKenzie, 1971
Three species have been reported from Japan:
1. Tanycypris alfonsi Nagler, Geist & Matzke-Karasz, 2014
Left side view of a female Tanycypris alfonsi, length 1.3 mm.
Dorsal view of a female Tanycypris alfonsi, anterior to left, length 1.3 mm.
External view of a female left valve of Tanycypris alfonsi, length 1253 microns.
External view of a female right valve of Tanycypris alfonsi, length 1242 microns.
- Additional figures in: Okubo 1972 (as Strandesia camaguinensis); Okubo & Ida 1989 (as Tanycypris pellucida); Okubo 2004 (as Tanycypris pellucida); Nagler et al. 2014; Smith et al. 2014.
- Habitat: Rice fields and ponds.
- Mode of life: Nektobenthic (swimmer).
- Reproductive mode: Asexual.
- Known distribution: Okayama Prefecture (Okubo 1972 as Strandesia camaguinensis), Gunma Prefecture (Okubo & Ida 1989, as Tanycypris pellucida). Elsewhere, Korea (Smith et al. 2014), and Germany, where it is considered to be an alien species (Nagler et al. 2014).
- References:
- ⚬ Nagler, C., Geist, J. & Matzke-Karasz, R. 2014. Revision of the genus Tanycypris (Ostracoda, Cypricercinae) with the description of Tanycypris alfonsi n. sp., and an identification key to the genus. Zootaxa, 3821, 401-424.
- ⚬ Okubo, I. 1972. Strandesia camaguinensis Tressler, 1937, from Japan (Ostracoda, Cyprididae). Proceedings of the Japanese Society of Systematic Zoology, 8, 9-14.
- ⚬ Okubo, I. 2004. Nihon tansui san kaimijinko rui ni tsuite. Kabushikigaisha Sanmon Insatsusho, Okayama, Japan, 72pp. [In Japanese, privately published].
- ⚬ Okubo, I. & Ida, K. 1989. Freshwater Ostracoda from Gunma Prefecture, Japan (In Japanese). Bulletin of the Biogeographical Society of Japan, 44, 105-107.
- ⚬ Smith, R. J., Lee, J. & Chang, C. Y. 2014. Nonmarine Ostracoda (Crustacea) from Jeju Island, South Korea, including descriptions of two new species. Journal of Natural History, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2014.946110, 1-40.
2. Tanycypris centa Chang, Lee & Smith, 2014
Left side view of a female Tanycypris centa, length 1.1 mm.
External view of a female left valve of Tanycypris centa, length 1153 microns.
External view of a female right valve of Tanycypris centa, length 1133 microns.
- Additional figures in: Chang et al. 2014.
- Habitat: In Japan, this species has only been found in aquaria in pet shops, where is may be an alien contaminant. Elsewhere, it has been found in rivers, irrigation ponds and articial containers in greenhouses (Chang et al. 2012; Nagler et al. 2014; Smith et al. 2014; Smith et al. 2024).
- Mode of life: Nektobenthic (swimmer).
- Reproductive mode: Asexual.
- Known distribution: Hokkaido and Iwate Prefecture (Smith et al. 2024). Elsewhere known from Korea (Chang et al. 2012; Smith et al. 2014) and as an alien species in Germany (Nagler et al. 2014).
- Remarks: Both this species and T. alfonsi have been observed jumping from a substrate, using their extremely long and powerful caudal rami. This is probably an escape mechanism from predators (Matzke-Karasz et al. 2014).
- Habitat: In Japan, this species has only been found in aquaria in pet shops, where is may be an alien contaminant. Elsewhere, it has been found in rivers, irrigation ponds and articial containers in greenhouses (Chang et al. 2012; Nagler et al. 2014; Smith et al. 2014; Smith et al. 2024).
- References:
- ⚬ Chang, C. Y., Lee, J. & Smith, R. J. 2012. Nonmarine ostracods (Crustacea) from South Korea, including a description of a new species of Tanycypris Triebel (Cyprididae, Cypricercinae). Zootaxa, 3161, 1-19.
- ⚬ Matzke-Karasz, R., Nagler, C. & Hofmann, S. 2014. The ostracod springtail - camera recordings of a previously undescribed high-speed escape jump in the genus Tanycypris (Ostracoda, Cypridoidea). Crustaceana, 87, 1072-1094.
- ⚬ Nagler, C., Geist, J. & Matzke-Karasz, R. 2014. Revision of the genus Tanycypris (Ostracoda, Cypricercinae) with the description of Tanycypris alfonsi n. sp., and an identification key to the genus. Zootaxa, 3821, 401-424.
- ⚬ Smith, R. J., Lee, J. & Chang, C. Y. 2014. Nonmarine Ostracoda (Crustacea) from Jeju Island, South Korea, including descriptions of two new species. Journal of Natural History, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2014.946110, 1-40.
- ⚬ Smith, R. J., Ozawa, H., Nishida, S. & Nakai, S. 2024. Non-marine Ostracoda (Crustacea) collected from pet shops and a hobbyist's aquaria in Japan, including two new species. Zootaxa 5410 (4), 451–494.
3. Tanycypris gonia Smith & Ozawa, 2024
Left side view of a male Tanycypris gonia, length 1.1 mm.
Left side view of a female Tanycypris gonia, length 1.2 mm.
External view of a female left valve of Tanycypris gonia, length 1230 microns.
- Additional figures in: Smith et al. 2024.
- Habitat: So far, only known from aquaria in pet shops.
- Mode of life: Nektobenthic (swimmer).
- Reproductive mode: Sexual.
- Known distribution: Tokyo and Shizuoka Prefecture.
- Remarks: This may be an alien species that has accidently been imported into Japan with ornamental fish, plants etc.
- References:
- ⚬ Smith, R. J., Ozawa, H., Nishida, S. & Nakai, S. 2024. Non-marine Ostracoda (Crustacea) collected from pet shops and a hobbyist's aquaria in Japan, including two new species. Zootaxa 5410 (4), 451–494.