During studies on the diversity of meiobenthic marine harpacticoid copepods, a new representative of the family Tachidiidae was found on the inner continental shelf of São Paulo State, between São Sebastião Channel and Ubatumirim Bay, Ubatuba (23º24'S, 44º57,6'W). Complementary material was collected near Enseada Beach, Ubatuba (23º30'S, 45º05'W). Although the new species shares with M. laurenticum (Nicholls, 1940) the reduced antennules, it can be easily distinguished from its congeners by leg 4 endopod with only two segments and the reduction of the number of inner setae of legs 1-4 endopod-3 and leg 3 exopod-3. Tachidiids, typically inhabiting fine sediments of brackish and marine shallow waters in the Northern Hemisphere, are good indicators of heavy organic pollution. This is the first record of the family Tachidiidae in the southern hemisphere.
Continental shelf; Copepoda; meiobenthos; taxonomy
