Danielopol Dan L, Pinto Ricardo L, Gross Martin, Da Silva Pereira Julia, Riedl Nicoletta
Institute of Earth Sciences (Geology and Palaeontology) Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Heinrichstrasse 26, A-8010 Graz, Austria.
Instituto de Geociências - UnB, Laboratório de Micropaleontologia, ICC - Ala Central, Subsolo ASS339/10, Campus Universitário Darcv Ribeiro, Asa Norte, Brasília - DF, CEP 70910-900, Brazil.
Geoecomarina. 2014;20:87-129.
The present essay reviews the history of the research on Elpidium ostracods (Timiriaseviinae), a group exclusively known to live in micro-aquaria of phytotelmata from Neotropical bromeliaceans. A new species, n. sp., is described and aspects dealing with functional morphology and taxonomy of the genus are presented. Related to these topics an evolutionary hypothesis and a programme of pluridisciplinary research are proposed. This should allow further improvement of our knowledge on the origin and evolution of the subfamily Timiriaseviinae, one of the most diverse cytheroid ostracod groups in inland waters since the beginning of the Mesozoic. Specifically, the following aspects are treated in-depth in the essay: (1) morphologic traits of the valves, useful for characterisation of Timiriaseviinae taxa; (2) the reversal of the valve overlap and hinge elements; (3) the diverse development of the posterior half of the female carapace, a quasi-independent morphological trait; (4) the morphological shapes of the male copulatory process; (5) the functional significance of the antero-ventral segment of the valve selvage for the life of ostracods in the micro-aquaria of the bromeliaceans; (6) the necessary improvement of comparative descriptions of the limbs-chaetotaxy for Timiriaseviinae.
本文回顾了艾氏介形虫（Timiriaseviinae）的研究历史，该类群仅生活在新热带凤梨科植物叶腋积水形成的微型水族箱中。文中描述了一个新物种，即新种，并介绍了该属的功能形态学和分类学相关内容。围绕这些主题，提出了一个进化假说和一个多学科研究计划。这将有助于进一步完善我们对Timiriaseviinae亚科起源和演化的认识，该亚科是中生代以来内陆水域中最多样化的似浪花介形虫类群之一。具体而言，本文深入探讨了以下几个方面：（1）瓣膜的形态特征，有助于Timiriaseviinae类群的分类；（2）瓣膜重叠和铰合元件的反转；（3）雌性头胸甲后半部的多样发育，这是一个近乎独立的形态特征；（4）雄性交配器的形态形状；（5）瓣膜边缘前腹段对凤梨科植物微型水族箱中介形虫生存的功能意义；（6）对Timiriaseviinae肢体刚毛序比较描述的必要改进。
