Description of the First Leptestheria Species (Branchipoda, Spinicaudata) from Brazil.

Leptestheria (Spinicaudata: Leptestheriidae) was collected for the first time from Brazil. This species was found during a study on temporary pools in the municipality of Palmas de Monte Alto in Bahia state, which is in the Caatinga climatic zone. A morphological description of this new species is presented and compared with other known South American species. Our new species differs from the other described species by the form of the head and the telson. The associated fauna is comparable to what was observed by Gurney in 1931 in Paraguay or by Roessler in 1995 in Colombia, indicating possible connections between the dry regions of South America.