Review of the fish-parasitic genus Ceratothoa Dana, 1852 (Crustacea: Isopoda: Cymothoidae) from Australia, with description of two new species
Author
Martin, Melissa B.
Author
Bruce, Niel L.
Author
Nowak, Barbara F.
text
Zootaxa
2015
3963
3
251
294
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.3963.3.1
ad62837b-1053-4845-b467-6fe79ef2f339
1175-5326
242174
B09B07C7-9E00-43A7-9671-382ACAC0469D
Mothocya lineata
(Miers, 1876)
comb. nov.
Ceratothoa lineata
Miers, 1876a
: 227
; 1876b: 105, pl. III, fig. 1.—
Filhol, 1885
: 448
.—
Thomson & Chilton, 1886
: 153
.—
Thomson, 1889
: 263
.—
Stebbing, 1902
: 58
.—
Collette, 1974
: 19
.—
Avdeev, 1982a
: 65
; 1982b: 69.—Beumer, Ashburn,
Burbury, Jetté & Latham, 1983
: 31
.—
Trilles, 1994
: 122
.
Meinertia lineata
.—
Hutton, 1904
: 262
.
Codonophilus lineatus
.—
Nierstrasz, 1931
: 132
.—
Hurley, 1961
: 268
, 284.—
Hewitt & Hine, 1972
: 83
, 94, 108.—
Hine, Jones & Diggles, 2000
: 79
.
Irona melanosticta
.—
Stephenson, 1969
: 427
, figs. 1–20; 1976: 167.—
Hewitt & Hine, 1972
: 94
, 108.
Mothocya ihi
Bruce, 1986
: 1166
, figs. 47.
Excluded (identity not known)
Meinertia lineata
.—
Avdeev, 1978b
: 281
–282.
Types
and
type
locality.
The
holotype
is deposited at the Natural History Museum, London (
Miers (1876a; BMNH 1845.61)
collected in
New Zealand
(
Hadfield 2012
). The
holotype
of
Mothocya ihi
Bruce, 1986
is held at the Auckland Institute and Museum (AIM 5370), from the host
Hyporhamphus ihi
Phillipps,
1932
in
New Zealand
.
Hadfield (2012)
described and figured the
holotype
of
Ceratothoa lineata
Miers, 1876
.
Remarks.
Mothocya lineata
(
Miers, 1876a
)
has a rounded cephalon anterior margin; narrow body with large coxae on pereonites 5–7; pleon as wide as pereon; rounded pleotelson; and uropods that are elongate and extend to the posterior margin of the pleotelson (
Hadfield 2012
).
This species is known only from
Hyporhamphus ihi
and is the only known buccal-attaching species within the genus
Mothocya
. It comes to no surprise that the site attachment and the unique elongate body shape shows convergences to that of other buccal-attaching genera (
Bruce 1986
), in this case, the species previously synonymised with
Ceratothoa
. The large rounded coxae (with coxae 5–7 dorsally visible), evenly rounded pleotelson, pleon to a greater degree immersed in pereonite 7 (
Bruce 1986
) are typical characters of
Mothocya
, and agrees entirely with the description of
Bruce (1986)
for
Mothocya ihi
. The species, having previously been reported on
Hyporhampus ihi
confirms the identity of the species.
Avdeev (1978b)
is the only Australian record of the species from four hosts. As no indication of the locality of the examined specimens, and knowledge that the species is known only from
New Zealand
from
Hyporhamphus ihi
, the species is excluded from Australian fauna.
Distribution.
New Zealand
(
Miers 1876a
,
1876b
;
Thomson 1889
). As the host is a species restricted to
New Zealand
waters, (
Collette 1974
;
Bruce 1986
;
Froese & Pauly 2013
) previous Australian records by
Avdeev (1978b)
are here excluded.
Hosts.
From the mouth of the garfish
Hyporhamphus ihi
(previously
Reporhamphus ihi
) (
Hewitt & Hine 1972
;
Hine
et al.
2000
;
Bruce 1986
). As the species is host-specific to
Hyporhamphus ihi
, records from other host are probably misidentifications and here excluded from the synonymy: from the mouth of a “gaurd (gar?) fish” (
Thomson 1889
); throat of butterfish
Odax pullus
(J. R. Forster, 1801)
(previously
Coridodax pullus
); from mouth cavity of blue warehou
Seriolella brama
(Günther, 1860)
and
Pagrosomus
sp. (see
Avdeev 1978b
).