Argeia Dana, 1852

An, Jianmei, Boyko, Christopher B. & Li, Xinzheng, 2015, A Review Of Bopyrids (Crustacea: Isopoda: Bopyridae) Parasitic On Caridean Shrimps (Crustacea: Decapoda: Caridea) From China, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2015 (399), pp. 1-85 : 15

Argeia Dana, 1852

DIAGNOSIS (modified from Markham, 1977): Female: Body ovoid, about 3/4 as wide as long, slightly distorted, all body regions and segments distinct; head subrectangular, wider than long; maxilliped palp setose (sometimes articulated); barbula with two or three short projections on each side; pereomeres either bearing coxal plates or prominently divided laterally; oostegites surrounding but not covering marsupium, oostegite 1 with large rounded posterolateral lobe, not tapered; pleon of six pleomeres, first five produced into prominent oval to lanceolate lateral plates; pleopods uniramous, exopodites often reduced to knobs on ventral surface, especially posteriorly; uropods uniramous, of same size and shape as lateral plates.

Male: Body approximately three times as long as wide; head usually much narrower than pereon; pereomeres distinctly separated, subequal in width; pleon triangular, ending in rounded point.

TYPE SPECIES: Argeia pugettensis Dana, 1852 , by monotypy.

OTHER SPECIES: Argeia atlantica Markham, 1977 .

REMARKS: Argeia lowisi Chopra, 1923 , and A. nierstraszi Shiino, 1958 , do not belong in Argeia . Females of both A. pugettensis and A. atlantica have an oostegite 1 with a rounded (not tapered) posterior lobe, the first 5 pleomeres with lateral plates and a pair of uniramous pleopods on pleomeres 1–5. However, females of A. lowisi and A. nierstraszi both have an elongate and tapered oostegite 1 posterior lobe (similar to that seen in Stegoalpheon kempi Chopra, 1923 ), no lateral plates or biramous pleopods. Although the oostegite 1 is very similar in A. lowisi , A. nierstraszi , and S. kempi , the presence of five or six pairs of uniramous lateral plates and five pairs of biramous pleopods in S. kempi precludes the inclusion of A. lowisi and A. nierstraszi in that genus. Therefore, we erect Stegoargeia , n. gen. (type species Argeia lowisi Chopra, 1923 ), for the type species as well as A. nierstraszi . The hosts for both Argeia species are crangonids, while those of Stegoalpheon and Stegoargeia , n. gen., are alpheids. The males of all three genera are very similar and suggest a close relationship between the genera.