The mesoparasitic genera of the Ergasilidae (Copepoda): with descriptions of new species of Paeonodes Wilson and Therodamas Krøyer

Abstract

One species of each of the three mesoparasitic ergasilid genera, Therodamas Krøyer, Mugilicola Tripathi and Paeonodes Wilson, is described in detail. The descriptions of P. subviridis n. sp. and Mugilicola bulbosus Tripathi are based on new material collected from Liza subviridis (Valenciennes) from Guam and India, respectively. The description of Therodamas frontalis n. sp. is based on material from Mugil cephalus L. in Brazil and the redescription of Therodamas serrani Krøyer is based on examination of syntype material. The geographical distributions of all three genera are summarised. Analysis of the phylogenetic relationships between species of these three genera indicates that Paeonodes and Mugilicola form a single clade and that Paeonodes, as currently constituted, is paraphyletic.

A new genus and species of mesoparasitic ergasilid (Copepoda: Cyclopoida) from brackish water pufferfishes collected in northern Australian waters

“…Drawings were made with the aid of a camera lucida. Anatomical terminology follows El-Rashidy & Boxshall (2001).…”

“…The metamorphosis of the adult females in the other four Therodamas species (i.e. T. sphyricephalus Thomsen, 1949, T. dawsoni Cressey, 1972, T. elongatus (Thatcher, 1986 and T. frontalis El-Rashidy & most likely follows that of T. fluviatilis and T. serrani, as the body of the eggbearing female for each species is similarly arranged (Thomsen, 1949;Cressey, 1972;Motta Amado & Rocha, 1996;El-Rashidy & Boxshall, 2001).…”

“…These analyses were based on a character matrix (Table 1) and a morphological (2) three additional ergasilid genera were included (Miracetyma Malta, 1993, Pindapixara Malta, 1993and Gauchergasilus Montú & Boxshall, 2002; (3) the character state of Character 7 for Mugilicola was changed from 1 (abdominal somites fused) to 0 (abdominal somites free) based on the redescription of the type-species by El-Rashidy & ; (4) the character state of Character 13 for Therodamas was changed from 0 (leg 1 endopod 3-segmented) to 1 (leg 1 endopod 2-segmented) based on the redescription of T. serrani syntype material by El-Rashidy & Boxshall (2001); (5) the character state of Character 14 for Therodamas was changed from 1 (third segment of leg 1 exopod with 7 elements) to 2 (third segment of leg 1 exopod with 6 elements) based on the redescription of T. serrani syntype material by El-Rashidy & ; (6) the character state of Character 19 for Mugilicola, Paeonodes and Therodamas were each changed from 3 (free segment of leg 5 absent) to 2 (free segment of leg represented by a seta) based on species (re)descriptions from each of these genera by El-Rashidy & Boxshall (2001); (7) the character state of Character 19 for Teredophilus was changed from 3 (free segment of leg 5 absent) to 2 (free segment of leg represented by a seta) based on the redescription of the type species by Harding (1964); and (8) one new character (Character 20) was added (pre-oral neck: absent (0), or present (1)). A 50% majority-rule consensus tree was constructed for each analysis using PAUP* to combine all MPTs into a single tree showing their common components.…”

“…Wilson, 1944 andMugilicola Tripathi, 1960) are mesoparasites, living with their anterior ends buried in the host and their posterior ends protruding from the host tissue (Boxshall & Montú, 1997). These three genera utilise a broad range of host families, with Therodamas reported from the Carangidae, Characidae, Dactyloscopidae, Mugilidae, Sciaenidae and Serranidae, Paeonodes occurring on the Cichlidae, Mugilidae, Salmonidae and Verillidae and Mugilicola recorded from the Anguillidae, Mugilidae and Sillaginidae (El-Rashidy & Boxshall, 2001). Furthermore, these mesoparasitic genera exhibit collectively a Gondwana distribution: Therodamas has been reported from the Neotropical region only; Paeonodes occurs in the Ethiopian and Australasian regions; and Mugilicola is distributed in the Ethiopian, Oriental and Australasian regions (El-Rashidy & Boxshall, 2001).…”

Checklist of Crustacea parasitizing fishes from Brazil

“…Therodamas elongatus (Thatcher, 1986) Plagioscion squamosissimus; unspecified site of infestation; freshwater; unspecified locality (Eiras et al 2010). Therodamas frontalis El-Rashidy and Boxshall, 2001 Mugil cephalus; gills; brackish, marine; unspecified locality (El-Rashidy and Boxshall 2001). Therodamas tamarae Amado and Rocha, 1996 Plagioscion squamosissimus; unspecified site of infestation; freshwater; unspecified locality (Eiras et al 2010).…”