One new species of Racovitzaibathynella Serban and Coineau, 1994 and one of Cteniobathynella Schminke, 1973 of the order Bathynellacea Chappuis, 1915 (family Parabathynellidae Noodt, 1065) are described from Benin in West Africa. These represent the first records of Bathynellacea species in Benin following a broad sampling throughout the country. Two species of the genus Racovitzaibathynella are known from South Africa and one is known from Chad and Israel. Specimens of Racovitzaibathynella beninensis Camacho and Lagnika sp. n. and Cteniobathynella boutini Camacho and Lagnika sp. n. have a unique combination of morphological characters and several shared generic features. Racovitzaibathynella beninensis sp. n. has a six-segmented antennule with three aesthetascs on segment five; a five-segmented antenna; concave labrum; mandible with only three teeth on the distal endite; no epipod on thoracopods I to III; plumose setae on the exopod of thoracopods I to VII; female thoracopod VIII distal- end bilobed, and two plumose setae on the endopod of the uropod. Cteniobathynella boutini sp. n. has a six-segmented antennula; f ive-segmented antenna; no epipod on thoracopods I to III; endopod on ThVIII of males as exopod, and five setae on the endopod of the uropod. To complement the morphological description of the two new species, a phylogenetic analysis based on the 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene was performed to infer their phylogenetic position within the family Parabathynellidae. The phylogenetic reconstruction shows an Afrotropical clade, which includes the new African species, and is clearly distinct from the European, Australian and Asiatic clades.

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