Caligus fugu Yamaguti & Yamasu, 1959

Boxshall, Geoff A & El-Rashidy, Hoda H., 2009, A review of the Caligus productus species group, with the description of a new species, new synonymies and supplementary descriptions, Zootaxa 2271, pp. 1-26 : 14-15

Caligus fugu Yamaguti & Yamasu, 1959

Syn: C. lagocephali Pillai, 1961

Differential diagnosis: Female genital complex and abdomen combined nearly twice as long as cephalothorax; body length 3.0– 3.7 mm. Male length 2.0– 2.4 mm. Female genital complex large, lacking distinct postero-lateral lobes; about 1.6 times longer than abdomen; abdomen 2-segmented, first segment just over twice as long as second. Male genital complex with evenly convex lateral margins: abdomen 2- segmented; second segment just longer than first. Post-antennal process sexually dimorphic, larger and more strongly curved in male. Additional process present between post-antennal process and base of antenna in female. Sternal furca with straight, tapering tines. Female maxilliped with large tapering process proximally on medial margin. Male maxilliped with large, acutely-pointed process on myxal margin, opposing tip of claw. Exopod of leg 1 with seta at inner distal angle as long as longest distal spine but much shorter than segment; no setae on posterior margin. Outer margin of second endopodal segment of leg 2 densely ornamented with fine spinules. Second exopodal segment of leg 4 with short outer margin spine and 3 long distal margin spines, increasing in length slightly towards terminal spine.

Material examined: none

Distribution: Indo-West Pacific, Japan, India.

Hosts: Tetraodontidae : Takifugu rubripes (Temminck & Schlegel, 1850) (as Sphaeroides rubripes ),

Takifugu alboplumbeus (Richardson, 1845) (as S. alboplumbeus ), Takifugu niphobles ( Jordan &

Snyder, 1901) (as S. niphobles ), Takifugu pardalis (Temminck & Schlegel, 1850) (as S. pardalis ),

Lagocephalus inermis (Temminck & Schlegel, 1850) .

All the reported hosts of C. fugu are tetraodontids ( Yamaguti & Yamasu 1959; Pillai 1961).

Remarks: The distinguishing character of this species is the well developed process located proximally on the inner margin of the female maxilliped. This character is shared by C. lagocephali and the females of these species have similar body size (2.8 mm) and body proportions. C. lagocephali is here placed in synonymy with C. fugu since it does not differ in any substantive characters.