Pleurocryptella laevis Richardson, 1910

An, Jianmei, Boyko, Christopher B. & Yu, Haiyan, 2012, New records and hosts for three species of pseudionine bopyrids (Crustacea: Isopoda: Bopyridae) parasitizing munidid squat lobsters (Crustacea: Anomura: Munididae) in Philippine waters, Journal of Natural History 46 (45 - 46), pp. 2881-2888 : 2882

Pleurocryptella laevis Richardson, 1910

( Figure 1 )

Cryptione laevis Richardson, 1910: 35–36 , fig. 32.

Pseudione laevis, Nierstrasz and Brender à Brandis, 1923: 78.

Pleurocryptella laevis, Bourdon, 1979: 509 (footnote, new combination); Bourdon, 1981: 618; Boyko et al., 2012: 2.

Material examined

Infesting Agononida analoga (Macpherson, 1993) , Philippine waters, 14 ◦ 00’ N, 120 ◦ 17’ E, 175–184 m, 20 September 1985, Coll. Yongliang Wang, 7♀, 7♂ (CI1082a).

Remarks

This is only the second report of this species. As mentioned by Boyko et al. (2012), Cryptione laevis (now placed in Pleurocryptella , see Bourdon 1979, 1981) was described from an unknown host, but one that was suspected to be a squat lobster, as are all the hosts of species in the genus Pleurocryptella . The present finding of additional specimens (see Figures 1A–O ), the first reported since the syntypes, confirms that the host is a munidid squat lobster. One of us ( CBB) examined several syntypes (two females and one male + half of another male, Albatross Station 5121, off Malabrigo Light, Philippines 108 fathoms (= 198 m), USNM 40922) and confirmed that the characters of the syntype females are those of Pleurocryptella (rudimentary oostegites on the bases of sixth and seventh pereopods). However, the number of segments on the antennae and antennule of the smaller syntype female were three and five, respectively, not three and four as given by Richardson (1910), and this agrees with the present specimens ( Figure 1C ). The males reported herein ( Figure 1J–O ) all have small darkly pigmented eyespots, which were not reported for the syntype males, although they may have faded during preservation. The depth of occurrence of the newly reported specimens is slightly shallower than that of the syntypes (198–247 m).

Examination of the present specimens ( Figure 1 ) allows some additional characters not mentioned by Richardson (1910) to be described: barbula ( Figure 1D ) with two pairs of falcate projections lateral to a pair of triangular projections; maxilliped ( Figure 1E ) subtrapezoidal, articulated and with setose palp, right margin of anterior article of maxilliped also setose. Males with small dark eyes ( Figure 1J ) and first two pleomeres with midventral tubercules ( Figure 1K ).

Figures

Figure 1. Pleurocryptella laevis (Richardson, 1910) (CI1082a). Female, 6.5 mm (A–I): (A) dorsal view; (B) ventral view; (C) right antenna and antennule; (D) left side of barbula; (E) left maxilliped, external view; (F) left oostegite 1, external view; (G) left oostegite 1, internal view; (H) right pereopod 1; (I) right pereopod 7. Male, 3.3 mm (J–O): (J) dorsal view; (K) ventral view; (L) right antenna and antennule; (M) left pereopod 1; (N) left pereopod 2; (O) left pereopod 3. Scale bars = 1 mm (A, B), 0.24 mm (C, L), 0.69 mm (D), 0.26 mm (E, H, I), 0.60 mm (F, G), 0.38 mm (J, K), 0.23 mm (M–O).