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Issue: Vol. 5723 No. 4: 27 Nov. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-11-27
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5723.4.1
Page range: 451-488
Abstract views: 63
PDF downloaded: 4

The discovery of the male Lepeophtheirus lichiae Barnard, 1948 (Copepoda: Caligidae) from the Eastern Mediterranean with morphological description and molecular phylogenetic analysis

Department of Biology; Faculty of Art and Science; Adıyaman University; Adıyaman; Türkiye.
Department of Biology; Faculty of Art and Science; Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University; Burdur 15030; Türkiye.
Department of Marine Sciences; Faculty of Marine Sciences and Technology; Iskenderun Technical University; Iskenderun-Hatay 31200; Türkiye.
Department of Life Sciences; Natural History Museum; Cromwell Road; London SW7 5BD; U.K.
Department of Fish Diseases; Faculty of Fisheries; University of Çukurova; 01330 Sarıçam; Adana; Türkiye.
Crustacea ectoparasite marine fish Mediterranean Sea description phylogeny

Abstract

The male of a poorly known and rare siphonostomatoid copepod Lepeophtheirus lichiae Barnard, 1948 is described for the first time based on a single specimen collected from the lateral body surface of the common leerfish, Lichia amia (Linnaeus), caught in the Gulf of Taşucu, Mersin, Türkiye. Supplementary data on female morphology are provided using newly collected specimens and modern imaging techniques, including Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM), which revealed several previously overlooked features. Although molecular data could not be obtained from the male, comparative morphological analysis across the genus Lepeophtheirus supports its conspecific identity with the female. Among the 123 valid species in the genus, both sexes are known for 77, of which only 11—including L. lichiae—possess a two-segmented abdomen. The male of L. lichiae differs from all other two-segmented congeners in several diagnostic traits, such as the proportions of the abdominal and anal somites, the shape of the myxal process, and the configuration of the sternal furca. Phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial COI and nuclear 18S rRNA sequences position L. lichiae as an independent lineage within Lepeophtheirus. The integration of morphological and molecular evidence presented here enhances understanding of the taxonomy and evolutionary relationships of this rare species. Additionally, analyses of the L. hospitalis complex support the reinstatement of L. kareii Yamaguti, 1936 as a valid species, distinct from L. hospitalis Fraser, 1920.

 

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How to Cite

Sönmez, S., Kamanli, S.A., Yanar, A., Boxshall, G.A. & Özak, A.A. (2025) The discovery of the male Lepeophtheirus lichiae Barnard, 1948 (Copepoda: Caligidae) from the Eastern Mediterranean with morphological description and molecular phylogenetic analysis. Zootaxa, 5723 (4), 451–488. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5723.4.1