Lernanthropids and Lernaeopodids (Copepoda) Parasitic on Australian Bream (Acanthopagrus spp.)

Does Alella Leigh-Sharpe, 1925 (Siphonostomatoida: Lernaeopodidae) really consist of seven species?

“…However, a variable shape of the trunk was also reported for A. pagelli (see Kabata, 1964), A. macrotrachelus (see Roubal, 1981;Byrnes, 1988) and A. ditrematis (see Ho, 1983) while Kabata (1979) indicated that characteristically of Alella species is aliform expansions of varying shapes at the base of the cephalothorax. Examination of specimens using light microscopy do not reveal the details described for the armature of the antennule and antennae of A. gibbosa using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) (van Niekerk & Olivier 1995) and even though those details add value to our knowledge about the structure of the appendages it should be used carefully when discriminating a species from its congeners where SEM details are not available.…”

“…Roubal (1981) described A. pagelli from specimens collected from Acanthopagrus australis (Günther). However, his described A. pagelli was synonomised with A. macrotrachelus (see Ho, 1983;Byrnes, 1988). Nonetheless, the pair of small tubercles present lateral to the genital process of the female [indicating that Roubal's (1981) specimens are actually A. macrotrachelus] (Ho, 1983;Byrnes, 1988) is absent in A. macrotrachelus as illustrated by Kawatow (1980) and the exopods of the antennae are covered with denticles (see figures 52, 54 in Kawatow, 1980).…”

“…However, his described A. pagelli was synonomised with A. macrotrachelus (see Ho, 1983;Byrnes, 1988). Nonetheless, the pair of small tubercles present lateral to the genital process of the female [indicating that Roubal's (1981) specimens are actually A. macrotrachelus] (Ho, 1983;Byrnes, 1988) is absent in A. macrotrachelus as illustrated by Kawatow (1980) and the exopods of the antennae are covered with denticles (see figures 52, 54 in Kawatow, 1980). Moreover, the pair of small tubercles is also visible in the description of A. gibbosa (see figure 15 in van Niekerk & Olivier, 1995) and the newly illustrated A. pagelli (see Fig.…”

“…2A). Apart from the host already mentioned, Alella macrotrachelus was also reported from P. erythrinus, Spicara melanurus (Valenciennes) (see Kabata, 1979), Acanthopagrus butcheri (Munro), A. berda, A. latus (Houttuyn) (see Byrnes, 1988), A. schlegeri (Bleeker) (see Kawatow, 1980;Ho 1983), all belonging to the Sparidae.…”

“…However, these pairs of small knobs are also illustrated on the adult female of the so-called (Ho, 1983;Byrnes, 1988) A. macrotrachelus (see figure 187 in Roubal, 1981), A. gibbosa (see figure 16 in van Niekerk & Olivier (1995) and the newly illustrated A. pagelli (see Figs. 1A, 2A-D).…”