Bactrochondria, Ho, Kim I.H. & Kumar, 2000

Ju-Shey, 2000, Chondracanthid copepods parasitic on flatfishes of Kerala, India, Journal of Natural History 34 (5), pp. 709-735 : 713-714

Genus Bactrochondria gen. nov.

Female. Body elongate, cylindrical. Head consisting of cephalosome only. Neck region short, composed of ®rst pediger. Remaining prosomal somites fused into a cylindrical trunk, without processes. Genito±abdomen and caudal ramus as usual form in family. Egg sac cylindrical, nearly as long as body. Antennule lobate. antenna uncinate. Oral appendages as in usual form, except with subchelate maxilliped. Two pairs of legs modi®ed; leg 1 large, bilobate; leg 2 reduced to two rami without protopod.

Male. Dwarf. Cephalosome fused with ®rst pediger and globose. Genito± abdomen carrying at its end a pair of reduced, spiniform caudal rami. Antennule slender and cylindrical. Antenna uncinate and robust. Oral appendages as in female, except maxilliped with much reduced terminal claw. Legs 1 and 2 reduced to a seta and a lobe or missing.

Etymology. The generic name is a combination of the Greek words bactro (= a stick, cane) and chondria (= cartilage, used as su x in many genera of Chondracanthidae ). It alludes to the rod-like appearance of the elongated trunk of this genus of parasites.

Type species. Bactrochondria papilla sp. nov.

Remarks. This genus is closely allied with Heterochondria YuÈ, 1935, having in the female an elongate, cylindrical trunk without processes and, in the male, lacking leg 2. However, the structure of legs in the female (blunt lobe vs. pointed lobe with medial bud) and the antennule in the male (absent or reduced vs. normal and ®liform) indicate that they are from diOEerent clades of the Chondracanthidae .

In his revision of the chondracanthid genera, Ho (1970) was perplexed by the incomplete information on Pseudochondracanthu s longitruncus Yamaguti, 1939 and Pseudochondracanthus sp. Pillai, 1964 and could only be certain that they are not attributable to Pseudochondracanthus Wilson, 1908 . However, in the end, Ho (1970: 195) suggested placing both of them tentatively in Ceratochondria YuÈ, 1938. Ho’s suggestion was accepted by Pillai (1985) who renamed it as a new species of Ceratochondria , C. hoi sp. nov. With the establishment of this new genus, it became clear that both Pseudochondrcanthu s longitruncu s and Ceratochondri a hoi are attributable to Bactrochondria . Interestingly, both of them are parasites of tongue®sh ( Cynoglossidae ) as in the type species of the new genus.