Epipenaeon fissurae Kensley, 1974

An, Jianmei, Boyko, Christopher B. & Li, Xinzheng, 2014, Review of the parasitic genus Epipenaeon Nobili, 1906 (Crustacea: Isopoda: Bopyridae), with new records and redescription of four species from China, Journal of Natural History 48 (33 - 34), pp. 2027-2048 : 2037-2040

Epipenaeon fissurae Kensley, 1974

( Figure 3)

Epipenaeon fissurae Kensley, 1974: 261–263 , Figure 2a–j [type locality: off Natal, South Africa; infesting Parapenaeus fissurus ]. - Kensley 1978: 152, 153, fig. 67f, g. – Bourdon 1979a: 428 [Bay of Bengal, infesting Parapenaeus longipes ]. - Bourdon 1979b: 498–501, figs. 19–20 [near Madagascar, infesting P. fissurus ]. -Bourdon 1981: 239, 242, 255, 259–260. - Nearhos and Lester, 1984: 258. - An, 2006: 136–138, fig. 69. [South China Sea; infesting Parapenaeus lanceolatus and P. longipes ]

Material examined

Infesting Parapenaeus lanceolatus : 1♀, CIEPE617501 , 1♂ , CIEPE617502 , South China Sea, Stn. 6175, 110°00’ E, 17°45’ N, 141m, 28 January 1959, coll. Ruiyu Liu. CIEPE620701 , ♀, South China Sea, Stn. 6207, 109°00’ E, 17°00’ N, 110.4m, 14 July 1959, coll. Fengshan Xu. CIEPE617502 , ♀, ♂, South China Sea, Stn. 6175, 110°00’ E, 17°45’ N, 104.8m, 12 July 1959, coll. Fengshan Xu.

Infesting Parapenaeus longipes: CIEPE 622401, ♀, ♂, South China Sea, Stn. 6224, 108°30’ E, 18°15’ N, 95m, 19 November 1959, coll. Zhican Tang. CIEPE621901 , ♀, ♂, South China Sea, Stn. 6219, 108°30’ E, 19°30’ N, 52m, 25 January 1959, coll. Zhengang Fan.

Description of female (CIEPE617501)

Length 6.30 mm, maximal width 4.90 mm, head length 1.16 mm, head width 1.42 mm. All segments distinct ( Figure 3A, B).

Head oval, with short frontal lamina; eyes absent ( Figure 3A). Antennae and antennules of five and three articles each, respectfully, terminal articles setose ( Figure 3C). Maxilliped ( Figure 3D) with curved palp. Barbula ( Figure 3E) with two pairs of slightly digitate lateral projections on each side and a rounded small tubercule near median.

Pereon broadest across third pereomere ( Figure 3A). Coxal plates rudimentary on both sides, those on longer side slightly larger than on shorter side; fourth pereomere on left side without coxal plates. Brood pouch open medially ( Figure 3B). First oostegite ( Figure 3F, G) with two equally long articles, internal ridge bearing simple small projections, posterolateral point rounded posteriorly. Pereopods larger posteriorly ( Figure 3H, I); bases of all pereopods with carinae.

Pleon of five pleomeres bearing biramous pleopods and poorly developed lateral plates. Fifth pleomere incised medially. Uropods biramous, outer ramus rounded, inner ramus sharp and larger than outer. Five pairs of biramous pleopods and pair of biramous uropods with tuberculate surfaces, not extending beyond margin of lateral plates.

Description of male (CIEPE617502)

Length 2.62 mm, maximal width, across pleomere 5, 1.16 mm, head width 0.63 mm, pleonal length 0.63 mm. All pereon segments distinctly, pleon fused ( Figure 3J, K).

Head elliptical, posterior edge curved ( Figure 3J); eyes lacking ( Figure 3J). Antennae and antennules of five and three articles each, respectively, articles terminally setose ( Figure 3K).

Pereomeres almost equal in width, lacking midventral projections ( Figure 3K). Pereopods smaller posteriorly, first three pereopods with larger dactyli, rounded carpi and meri. Last four pereopods with smaller dactyli, longer carpi and rounded meri ( Figure 3L–O).

Pleon fused, lacking pleopods and uropods, anal cone visible ( Figure 3K).

Variability

One female (CIEPE620701) bears coxal plates on the fourth pereomere on the shorter side and the endopodite of the fifth pleopod on the shorter side is formed into a small knob.

Remarks

Kensley (1974) described E. fissurae infesting Parapenaeus fissurus from India, while Bourdon (1979a) reported this species from P. longipes in the Bay of Bengal and later (1979b) infesting the type host from Madagascar. The present records extend the range to Chinese waters and add a new host: P. lanceolatus . To date, all records of this species are from hosts in the genus Parapenaeus Smith, 1885 , from which no other Epipenaeon species have ever been collected. Species of Parapenaeus are also known to host three species of Parapenaeon and the single species of Anisorbione Bourdon, 1981 . Females of P. fissurae can be distinguished from those of other Epipenaeon species by their rudimentary coxal plates on both sides, narrow frontal lamina, and the strong median indentation on the posterior margin of the fifth pleomere. The present specimens conform to those described by Kensley (1974) and those redescribed by Bourdon (1979b).