A new species and two new records of Minicopenaeon Bourdon, 1981 (Crustacea: Isopoda: Bopyridae) from China

Three species of the parasitic isopod genus Minicopenaeon Bourdon, 1981 (Crustacea: Isopoda: Bopyridae) are reported from China, one new to science and two new records from mainland China. Minicopenaeon crosnieri (Bourdon, 1979) formerly known from Madagascar, the Philippines and Taiwan, is recorded from Zhejiang province. Minicopenaeon intermedium Bourdon, 1981 previously recorded from the Philippines and Japan, is recorded from China for the first time. The new species Minicopenaeon liuruiyui n. sp. is recorded from the East and South China Seas. As with other species of the genus, females of the new species have rudimentary coxal plates on the second pereomeres on the short side. The new species can be distinguished from other species by the presence of a widely open brood pouch, head with bilobate anterior edge and median concave groove, and male head with curved posterior margin of the pleon. A key to species of Minicopenaeon is provided and the subspecies M. intermedium curvatum Bourdon, 1981 is synonymised with M. intermedium Bourdon, 1981. Metapenaeopsis philippii (Bate, 1881) and M. coniger (Wood-Mason, 1891) are newly recorded as host species for bopyrids.