Taxonomy of Oncaeidae (Copepoda, Poecilostomatoida) from the Red Sea.: III.: Morphology and phylogenetic position of Oncaea subtilis Giesbrecht, 1892

Both sexes of Oncaea subtilis Giesbrecht, 1892, a small oncaeid species commonly occurring in temperate and tropical regions, are redescribed on the basis of material from the Red Sea. It is placed in a new monotypic genus, Monothula, on the basis of the loss of the outer spine on the third segment of the endopod of legs 2-4, and the presence of a single dorsal egg-sac, which is attached medially to the genital double-somite. The latter character is unique among oncaeids. The geographical distribution of M. subtilis comb. nov. is reviewed, and additional taxonomic data based on material from the eastern Mediterranean, the Arabian Sea and the eastern Indian Ocean are presented. The phylogenetic relationships of M. subtilis within the Oncaeidae are discussed.