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Issue: Vol. 2336 No. 1: 15 Jan. 2010
Type: Articles
Published: 2010-01-15
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2336.1.3
Page range: 36–50
Abstract views: 31
PDF downloaded: 1

A new bomolochid copepod parasitic on bullseye puffer Sphoeroides annulatus (Jenyns) from Mexico, with reassignment of some species of Acantholochus Cressey and Hamaticolax Ho & Lin

Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Unidad Académica Mazatlán, Joel Montes Camarena s/n, Mazatlán 82040, Sinaloa, México
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Unidad Académica Mazatlán, Joel Montes Camarena s/n, Mazatlán 82040, Sinaloa, México
Fish Acantholochus zairae fish parasite Cyclopoida Bomolochidae taxonomy

Abstract

A new bomolochid copepod species, Acantholochus zairae (Cyclopoida: Bomolochidae), was found on the bullseye puffer fish Sphoeroides annulatus (Jenyns). It is the ninth species belonging to Acatholochus Cressey around the world and the third from the Mexican Pacific. Females of A. zairae sp. n. can be distinguished from Acantholochus spp. mainly by the presence of one seta (instead of two) on the second endopodal segment of leg 2 and by the strong, large claw of the maxilla. Acantholochus zairae sp. n. is attributable either to Acantholochus or to Hamaticolax Ho & Lin since no useful character to distinguish the genus Acantholochus from the genus Hamaticolax was found in the literature. We therefore suggest that species of the genus Acantholochus can only be distinguished from those of the genus Hamaticolax by the absence of the accessory process of the maxillipedal claw. Due to the above, three species of bomolochids hitherto placed in the genus Acantholochus [H. galeichthyos (Luque & Bruno) comb. nov., H. paralabracis (Luque & Bruno) comb. nov. and H. unisagittatus (Tavares & Luque) comb. nov.] are transferred to Hamaticolax and three species hitherto placed in the genus Hamaticolax [A. albidus (Wilson) comb. nov., A. australiensis (Byrnes) comb. nov. and A. venustus (Kabata) comb. nov.] are transferred to Acantholochus. In addition, keys to the females of both genera are provided.

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