Danny Tang

Pseudohatschekiidae, a new family for Pseudohatschekia branchiostegi Yamaguti, 1939 (Crustacea: Copepoda: Siphonostomatoida) from Branchiostegus spp. (Teleostei: Perciformes: Malacanthidae) in Japanese waters, with descriptions of the early developmental stages of P. branchiostegi

The siphonostomatoid copepod Pseudohatschekia branchiostegi Yamaguti, 1939 is redescribed in detail based on specimens of both sexes collected from the gill filaments of three species of Branchiostegus Rafinesque (Teleostei: Malacanthidae) captured in Japanese waters. Descriptions of two naupliar stages and the infective copepodid stage of P. branchiostegi are also provided for the first time, and P. mebaru Yamaguti, 1939 is recognised herein as a junior synonym of P. branchiostegi. The latter copepod species represents a new family, the Pseudohatschekiidae fam. nov., of the Siphonostomatoida characterised by the following apomorphies: (a) two free pedigerous somites present between the cephalothorax and the genital complex; (b) a chelate antenna bearing two digitate processes and a thin cuticular covering; (c) a unilobate maxillule, with the palp completely fused to the endite and represented by a surface seta; (d) a rounded process furnished with pectinate membranes on the apex of the maxillary basis; (e) 2-segmented rami on legs 1–3; and (f) the absence of leg 4. It is also now evident that P. branchiostegi is a relatively common and abundant parasite of Branchiostegus spp. in the Far East.

Four new species of Colobomatus (Copepoda: Philichthyidae) parasitic in the lateral line system of marine finfishes captured off the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, with redescriptions of Colobomatus collettei Cressey, 1977 and Colobomatus pupa Izawa, 1974

This study describes four new species of Colobomatus Hesse, 1873 and redescribes Colobomatus collettei Cressey, 1977 and Colobomatus pupa Izawa, 1974 based on females collected from the sensory canals of seven finfish species from off the Ryukyu Islands, southern Japan. Colobomatus pteroisi sp. nov. from Pterois volitans is unique in having a mid-lateral pair of cephalic processes; Colobomatus acanthuri sp. nov. from Acanthurus olivaceus possesses a short neck between the head and first pair of thoracic processes and tiny spinules and three claws apically on the cephalic, thoracic and genital processes; Colobomatus gymnocranii sp. nov. from Gymnocranius griseus has an anterior pair of papillose thoracic processes that are twice as long as the posterior pair of spinulose processes; Colobomatus absens sp. nov. from Pterocaesio digramma is unique in lacking a posterior pair of thoracic processes. New host and locality records for C. collettei and C. pupa are also reported herein. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:BEB140D5-8936-4B47-B8B9-738BFABF37E1

Parasitic copepods from some northern Indian Ocean elasmobranchs

Twelve parasitic copepod species representing two families were opportunistically recorded from the skin of 13 elasmobranch species captured in the coastal waters of Oman. New host records include Alebion carchariae , Pandarus smithii and Pandarus cranchii on Carcharhinus amboinensis ; Echthrogaleus denticulatus on Alopias superciliosus and Sphyrna lewini ; Pandarus carcharhini on Carcharhinus altimus ; Pseudopandarus longus on Carcharhinus sorrah ; Caligus dasyaticus on Glaucostegas halavi . Previous records of Pseudopandarus australis are limited to the Pacific Ocean, and its occurrence in the northern Indian Ocean represents a large range extension.

A New Species of Lepeophtheirus (Copepoda; Caligidae) Parasitic on Three Kelpfish Species (Clinidae) from the Southern California Coast

Abstrac A new copepod species, Lepeophtheirus schaadti n. sp., is established based on female and male specimens obtained from the Giant Kelpfish, Heterostichus rostratus Girard, 1854, and Striped Kelpfish, Gibbonsia metzi Hubbs, 1927, captured at Inner Cabrillo Beach in southern California, U.S.A. In addition, comparisons with copepod specimens identified by Wilson (1935) as L. parviventris Wilson, 1905 from the Spotted Kelpfish, Gibbonsia elegans (Cooper, 1864), in Newport Bay, California, revealed they are conspecific with L. schaadti n. sp. The new species differs from its congeners by a combination of characters that include: female with a genital complex that is more than half the length of the cephalothoracic shield and with posterolateral lobes, an abdomen that is composed of one somite and is less than one-quarter the length of the genital complex, a maxillulary dentiform process bearing a thin ridge on the inner tine and lacking a basal knob, no myxal process on the maxilliped, apically rounded tines on the sternal furca, the spine on the first exopodal segment of leg 3 inserted distally on the basal swelling, a 3-segmented leg 4 exopod, and a broad inner lobe of leg 5 that does not extend beyond the posterior margin of the genital complex; and male with three accessory claws on the antennal endopod and no myxal process on the maxilliped. L. schaadti n. sp. represents the first account of an ectoparasitic species from the Striped Kelpfish and Spotted Kelpfish, as well as the fourth ectoparasitic species reported from the Giant Kelpfish.

Redescription of Lepeophtheirus acutus Heegaard, 1943 (Copepoda: Caligidae) parasitic on two elasmobranch hosts off Okinawa-jima Island, Japan

A redescription of the caligid copepod Lepeophtheirus acutus Heegaard, 1943 is provided based on mature adults of both sexes collected from two new elasmobranch hosts, the Alfred manta Manta alfredi (Krefft, 1868) and the whale shark Rhincodon typus Smith, 1828, held in sea pens off Okinawa-jima Island, Japan. Lepeophtheirus acutus can be distinguished from other congeners by a combination of adult female characters that includes: (1) abdomen about one-third length of cephalothorax; (2) sternal furca with long, apically pointed tines; (3) leg 2 endopod with a row of large denticles and a spiniform projection on the distolateral corner of the first and second segments, respectively; (4) leg 3 endopod with six setae on the distal segment; and (5) leg 4 exopod with an armature of I-0; III. This report also confirms the observation of previous workers that L. acutus is a pathogen of elasmobranchs held in captivity.

Contribution of Ju-shey Ho to the systematics of symbiotic copepods of Japan

This note reviews the work done by Ju-shey Ho, currently Professor Emeritus at California State University, Long Beach, CA, USA, on the systematics of symbiotic copepods from aquatic animals in Japanese waters. Since 1980, he has reported 110 species of symbiotic copepods from Japanese fish and marine invertebrates, including those representing one new family, seven new genera and 41 new species, and has greatly contributed to clarifying the symbiotic copepod fauna of Japan. Research using symbiotic copepods as bioindicators of the phylogeny and evolution of host animals was conducted by him for the first time in Japan. He also made significant contributions to the taxonomy and biology of caligid copepods, a group that poses a serious threat to the aquaculture industry, found on farmed fish in Japan.

A new species of Pseudomacrochiron Reddiah, 1969 (Crustacea: Copepoda: Macrochironidae) associated with scyphistomae of the moon jellyfish Aurelia sp. (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa) off Japan.

A new species of the Macrochironidae Humes & Boxshall, 1996 (Copepoda: Cyclopoida), Pseudomacrochironaureliae n. sp., is described based on adult specimens extracted from the gastrovacular cavity of the scyphistomae of Aurelia sp. (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa) collected in the Seto Inland Sea and Ise Bay off the coast of Japan. The new species differs from its congeners by having the following combination of characters: a caudal ramus with a length to width ratio of 3.1; an accessory flagellum on caudal setae II, III and VI; three apical setae on the maxillule; only setae I and II on the maxillary basis; two short spines on the female maxilliped claw (endopod); an armature of III, I, 4 on the terminal exopodal segment of leg 3; an armature of I, II, 2 on the terminal endopodal segment of leg 3; an armature of II, I, 4 on the terminal exopodal segment of leg 4; and a short free exopodal segment of leg 5 (length to width ratio of 1.4) armed with a long seta and short spine. P. aureliae n. sp. is the first member of the genus reported from off Japan and from the scyphistomae of its scyphozoan host.