The sea lice (Copepoda: Caligidae) of Moreton Bay (Queensland, Australia), with descriptions of thirteen new species
Author
Boxshall, Geoff
text
Zootaxa
2018
2018-03-19
4398
1
1
172
journal article
30482
10.11646/zootaxa.4398.1.1
e5a58990-d727-440a-aab9-7638a5698954
1175-5326
1202953
79E3EB78-D1C3-45CF-AB13-F8E61C936252
Caligus brevicaudus
Pillai, 1963
(
Fig. 23
)
Material examined.
2♀♀, 1♂ from
Caranx ignobilis
(Forsskål, 1775)
(TC17579)
25 June 2016
; 1♀, 1♂ QM Reg. No.
W53059
; 1♀ NHMUK Reg. No. 2017.248.
Site on host.
gill arches.
Differential diagnosis.
Cephalothorax dorsoventrally flattened with well-developed marginal membranes along lateral zones; frontal plates with lunules (
Fig. 23A
); thoracic zone small, posterior margin about level with posterior margins of lateral zones. Genital complex about 1.1 to 1.2 times longer than wide; abdomen small, 1- segmented, wider than long; genital complex about 4.3 times longer than abdomen (including caudal rami). Antenna with well developed posterior process on proximal segment. Post-antennal process bifid (
Fig. 23B
), tine without marginal flange; associated papillae bisensillate, unisensillate papilla on adjacent cephalothoracic surface.
Posterior process of maxillule bifid (
Fig. 23C
); smaller outer tine arising near base of main (inner) tine. Maxilliped of female with bilobed swelling on surface and fold in myxal area; claw strongly recurved with striations along concave margin (
Fig. 23D
). Sternal furca with blunt tines bearing conspicuous flanges (
Fig. 23E
). Distal exopodal segment of leg 1 with 3 short plumose setae on posterior margin (
Fig. 21F
); distal spine 1 longer than other spines; spines 2 and 3 each with accessory process; seta 4 longer than spines 2 and 3, shorter than segment. Leg 2 with marginal setules on endopodal segments 2 and 3; outer spines on exopodal segments 1 and 2 aligned close to longitudinal axis of ramus. First exopodal segment of leg 3 with large recurved outer spine but lacking inner seta (
Fig. 23G
); apron with raised bifid rib-like process plus circular array of large denticles on ventral surface and corrugated adhesion pad on outer margin and adjacent dorsal surface. Leg 4 uniramous, 4-segmented; exopodal segments armed with I; I; III spines. Leg 5 comprising exopodal papilla bearing 2 setae, located adjacent to protopodal papilla bearing single seta (
Fig. 23H
). Body lengths of females
1.93 mm
and
2.19 mm
; length of male
1.66 mm
.
Remarks.
This is a distinctive but uncommon member of the
Caligus confusus
-group. It was originally described by
Pillai (1963)
, based on material of both sexes collected from an unspecified species of
Caranx
Lacepède, 1801
caught off Trivandrum (
India
). However, there have been no new records since the original description although it was widely cited, e.g. in reviews by
Pillai (1967b
,
1968
) and in his monograph (1985). It is also interesting to note that this species has not been recorded from
Taiwan
, despite intensive study of Taiwanese waters by Ho & Lin (see Ho & Lin, 2004, 2007;
Lin & Ho, 2007
).
In Moreton
Bay
C. brevicaudus
was found only on
Caranx ignobilis
, where it attached to the gill arches, the same microhabitat as
C. confusus
. At
1.93 to 2.19 mm
the females found in Australian waters were only half the length of the Indian specimens, reported as
4.3 mm
by
Pillai (1963)
. Despite this marked size difference, no morphological differences were apparent.