Male-biased sexual size dimorphism in sharks: the narrowmouth catshark Schroederichthys bivius as case study

Hydrobiologia - In shark populations, variation in sexual size dimorphism (SSD) appears to be related with the reproductive mode. Here, we aimed to investigate the reproductive biology of the...     

A new copepod (Siphonostomatoida: Lernanthropidae) parasitic on a Red Sea immigrant dragonet (Actinopterygii: Callionymidae), with a review of records of parasitic copepods from dragonets

A new species of parasitic copepod of the family Lernanthropidae is described from an immigrant population of the blotchfin dragonet Callionymus filamentosus Valenciennes (family Callionymidae) in the Eastern Mediterranean. Both sexes are described on the basis of material caught in Egyptian waters off the Alexandria coast at Abuqir. The new species shares with Lernanthropus breviculus Kabata, 1979 the possession of a small dorsal plate on the trunk that is so narrow at its origin that it does not overlap the bases of the fourth legs, which are therefore visible in dorsal view. These species differ in the shape of the cephalothorax and in the extent of the dorsal plate, which is shorter in the new species, revealing the caudal rami in dorsal view. Previous records of parasitic copepods utilising callionymids as hosts are reviewed: most belong to the families Pennellidae and Chondracanthidae.     

A new species of chondracanthid copepod parasitic in the pharynx of hagfishes (Myxiniformes: Myxinidae) from off Taiwan

A new species of Acanthochondria Oakley, 1927 (Copepoda, Poecilostomatoida, Chondracanthidae), parasitic in the pharynx of hagfishes Eptatretus burgeri (Girard), E. sheni (Kuo, Huang & Mok) and E. yangi (Teng), from off Taiwan is described and illustrated. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by having the neck region longer than wide (about 2–3 times as long as wide), the moderately long protopod of leg 2 (Type E), the endopod of leg 2 as large as exopod, the cephalosome wider than long, the armature formula of antennule (1, 1, 2, 2, 9), the relatively long trunk (6.7 mm) and egg-sacs (14.4 mm). This is the first record of a parasitic chondracanthid from hagfishes. The findings may provide insights into the phylogenetic relationships and interactions among chondracanthids, hagfishes and demersal fishes, but call for further molecular studies.     

A new species of parasitic copepod,Shiinoa bakeri (Shiinoidae), with a new host record for Shiinoa elagata Cressey

Summary A new species of Shiinoa parasitic on the nasal lamellae of Indian Ocean and western Atlantic lutjanid fishes is described. A new record of Shiinoa elagata, originally described from Pacific Elagatus bipinnulatus, is reported from western Atlantic Sphyraena barracuda from Belize. The new species described herein brings the total number of Shiinoa species described to four. The family Shiinoidae is redefined.     

A new genus and species of hatschekiid copepod (Siphonostomatoida) from groupers (Actinopterygii: Serranidae) collected off the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan

A new genus and species of copepod, Mihbaicola sakamakii n. g., n. sp., belonging to the siphonostomatoid family Hatschekiidae, is described based on the females collected from inside the tissue of the branchiostegal membrane in three species of the groupers, Epinephelus fasciatus (Forsskål) (type-host), E. merra Bloch and Cephalopholis leopardus (Lacépède), collected off Okinawa-jima Island and Iriomote-jima Island, Ryukyu Archipelago, North Pacific Ocean. The new genus can be distinguished from other hatschekiid genera by a combination of the following characters in the female: the head is composed of the cephalosome and the pedigerous somite; the cephalothorax is expanded into a pair of posteroventral lobes carrying leg 1; legs 1 and 2 are biramous and composed of the protopod and both rami are 2-segmented; leg 3 is absent; and leg 4 is represented by a rounded lobe with a chitinous pointed apical process.     

Nematodes from the Strait of Magellan and the Beagle Channel (Chile): Description of four new species of the Comesomatidae

Four nematode species of the Comesomatidae from the Strait of Magellan and the Beagle Channel, Chile, are described as new to science. Comesoma hermani n. sp. can be separated from similar species, Comesoma bermudense Jensen & Gerlach, 1977, Comesoma minimum Chitwood, 1937 and Comesoma chilense Jensen & Gerlach, 1977 by the difference of body length, cephalic setae length, the ratio of the subcephalic setae to cephalic setae length and the ratio of spicule to anal body diameter. Dorylaimopsis magellanense n. sp. is identified by the lateral differentiation of 3–4 longitudinal rows of enlarged dots, the curved spicules are prominently jointed and with a ventral protrusion. Hopperia beaglense n. sp. could be easily recognised by both the rounded tail tip and anterior head end which differs from all the species of this genus except H. dorylaimopsoides (Allgén, 1959), which has, however, a smaller de Man ratio 'a' and reflexed ovaries. Hopperia arntzi n. sp. has a shorter body length which differs from the closest species, Hopperia americana Ward, 1984 and Hopperia muscatensis Warwick, 1973. Furthermore, the de Man ratio 'a' is different between our specimens and the other two species. An identification key to all known species of the genus Hopperia is provided.     

Two new parasitic copepods of the family Sphyriidae (Copepoda: Siphonostomatoida) from Australian elasmobranchs

Systematic Parasitology - Two new species of the genus Tripaphylus Richiardi in Anonymous, 1878 (family Sphyriidae) are described from elasmobranch hosts caught as bycatch within the Demersal and...     

Paramunnidae (Grustaea: Isopoda: Asellota) from the Magellan Strait

Seven new species of Paramunnidae from the Magellan Strait are described, two of which are placed in new genera: Paramunna magellanensis sp. nov., P. menziesi sp. nov., P. parasimplex sp. nov., P. patagoniensis sp. nov., Allorostrata ovalis gen. et sp. nov., Austrosignum dentatum sp. nov., and Magellianira serrata gen. et. sp. nov. Four known paramunnid species from the same location are redescribed: Parammunna integra, P. simplex, P. subtriangulata and Munnogonium tillerae . While investigating the genus Paramunna , two species of this group, Acutomunna foliacea (Chardy, 1975) gen. nov. and Paramunna foresti Carvacho , 1977 were removed, which involved the erection of a new genus. The allocation of P. foresti remains uncertain. Some diagnostic characters of the Paramunnidae and a key to the Magellanic species of Paramunna are presented.     

Asterocheres crinoidicola n. sp., a copepod (Siphonostomatoida: Asterocheridae) parasitic on crinoids in Belize

A new species of siphonostomatoid copepod, Asterocheres crinoidicola, is parasitic on two closely related comasterid crinoids (Nemaster grandis and Davidaster rubiginosus) in Belize, Central America. An unusually long terminal prolongation of the third segment of the endopod of leg 1 distinguishes this species from all congeners. This is the first report of a copepod parasitic on a crinoid in the Caribbean.     

A new and a rare parasitic copepod from fishes of Kuwait

Summary A new lernaeopodid copepod, Sparidicola papilliferens n.g., n. sp., is described from Acanthopagrus latus (Pisces: Teleostei) taken in Kuwait. This species is designated as a type of its genus, to which is transferred a second species, originally described as Brachiella lithognathae Kensley & Grindley, 1973, renamed Sparidicola lithognathae (Kensley & Grindley 1973) n. comb. A new name, Neobrachiella pillaii nom. nov., is proposed for Brachiella indica Pillai, 1968. The original name is preoccupied by Brachiella indica Tripathi, 1962, which is also transferred to the genus Neobrachiella Kabata, 1979, as N. indica (Tripathi, 1962) n. comb.     

A new genus and species of nicothoid copepod (Crustacea: Copepoda: Siphonostomatoida) parasitic on the mysid <Emphasis Type="Italic">Siriella okadai</Emphasis> Ii from off Japan

Neomysidion rahotsu, a new genus and species of the siphonostomatoid family Nicothoidae Dana, 1849, is described from the marsupium of the mysid Siriella okadai Ii in the shallow waters of the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. This is the first record of nicothoids parasitic on mysids in Asian waters. The new genus is closely related to the three other mysid-infesting nicothoid genera, Aspidoecia Giard & Bonnier, 1889, Mysidion Hansen, 1897 and Hansenulus Heron & Damkaer, 1986, but is distinguishable by: the trunk of adult females being remarkably transformed at maturity; the male cephalosome covered with numerous rounded knobs posterodorsally; the absence of caudal rami in the female; three-segmented antennules in both sexes; two-segmented antenna in the male; remarkable sexual dimorphism in the maxillae; the presence of a pair of spinulate sclerites between the maxillae in both sexes; three- segmented maxillipeds in both sexes; the absence of legs 1 to 5 in the female; the presence of two pairs of legs in the male; and egg-sacs laid free.     

Structure of the mouth tube of a parasitic copepod,Isobranchia appendiculata Heegaard, 1947 (Siphonostomatoida:Lernaeopodidae)

The structure and musculature of the mouth tube of the lernaeopodidIsobranchia appendiculata Heegaard is described in detail. Situated on the median eminence, the mouth tube appears to be lodged inside a median longitudinal groove on the ventral wall of the cephalothorax. The components of the mouth tube, the labrum and the labium are loosely held together along their lateral edges. The thin, transparent walls of both the labrum and the labium are reinforced by chitinous rods. The musculature of the mouth tube consists of two pairs ofretractores oris, four pairs ofcompressores labri and two pairs oflevatores labii. The mandibles are operated by a pair of antagonistic muscles, theroto adductor mandibulae androto abductor mandibulae. Like other lernaeopodids,I. appendiculata resorts to a browsing type of feeding.     

A new species of Acontiophorus Brady, 1880 (Copepoda: Siphonostomatoida) from Ushuaia,Argentina

A new species of Acontiophorus belonging to the family Asterocheridae was found in Ushuaia, Patagonia, southern Argentina. The new species is distinctive in having 9-segmented antennule, five setae on terminal endopodal segment of leg 1, seven elements on terminal segment of leg 1 and leg 4 exopods, and characteristic setation on maxillule lobes. This combination of characteristic features does not occur in any other species of the genus. The genus Acontiophorus is recorded for the first time from the South Atlantic.     

Trypanosoma humboldti n. sp. from the Chilean catshark, Schroederichthys chilensis (Guichenot, 1848)

The morphology of Trypanosoma humboldti n. sp. is described from living and stained specimens obtained from the blood of a catshark, Schroederichthys chilensis. This represents the first report of a trypanosome in fish from the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is distinguished by its size and apparent lack of pleomorphism. The presence of a leech, Branchellion ravenellii, attached to the catshark, raises the possibility that it can act as a vector. Additionally, this leech is recorded for the first time from the Pacific Ocean.     

Two new species of Cardiodectes Wilson (Copepoda: Siphonostomatoida)

Summary Two new species of pennellid copepods are described, Cardiodectes boxshalli from Nicholsina usta (Valenciennes, 1839) off Jamaica and C. spiralis from Anthias tuka (Herre, 1927) off the Massas Islands, New Guinea. A key to all known species of the genus is provided.Work completed during a period of secondment from the University of Bath.Work completed during a period of secondment from the University of Bath.