Monstrilloid copepods (Crustacea, Copepoda) in the U. S. National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution: updated redescriptions of Mexican species of Monstrilla Dana

The species of monstrilloid copepods (Monstrilloida: Copepoda: Crustacea) from Mexico that were deposited by the author in the collections of the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution in the 1990 s are redescribed based on updated descriptive standards. This study includes the re-examination and redescription of type specimens of several species of Monstrilla Dana, 1849. The redescriptions were prepared following currently used standards that were set after these species were described.

This revision reveals previously unnoticed characters that improve the morphological details of these species; new comparisons of some of these species are also provided. This work will allow a more complete and accurate analysis of these Mexican species.