Cancricepon choprae, in Markham, 1979

An, Jianmei, Wang, Mingxiao, Boyko, Christopher B. & Williams, Jason D., 2019, New hosts and localities for species of Cancricepon Giard & Bonnier, 1887 (Isopoda: Epicaridea: Bopyridae) with description of two new species and comments on the relationship between Cancricepon and Trapezicepon Bonnier, 1900, Zootaxa 4559 (1), pp. 136-150 : 138-139

Cancricepon choprae (Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, 1925)

( Fig. 1 )

? Leidya distorta .— Hay & Shore, 1918: 440 [see Table 1] (not Leidya distorta (Leidy, 1855)) .

Grapsicepon choprae Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, 1925: 4, 7, 8, figs 11–16 [see Table 1].— Shiino, 1936: 169, 171 [mention].— Shiino, 1942: 449 [mention].— Schultz, 1969: 319, fig. 508 [key].— Danforth, 1970: 10, 45 [list], 76 [translation of original description].— Danforth, 1972: 165 –167 [mention; table of characters].

Ergyne rissoi Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, 1925: 1, 5, 7, 8, figs 17–21 [mention as host of Danalia fraissei Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, 1925 = Cabirops fraissei (Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, 1925); also see Table 1].—Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, 1926: 52 [mention as host of D. fraissei = C. fraissei ].— Caroli, 1953: 85 –86 [mention as host of D. fraissei = C. fraissei ].— Markham, 1975: 55, 56, 66 [examination of type specimen].— Schultz, 1969: 315, fig. 501 [key].— Danforth, 1970: 10, 45 [list], 73–74 [translation of original description], fig. 18e, f.— Danforth, 1972: 165 [mention].—Boyko, 2013: 109 [mention].— Boyko, 2014: 75 [mention as host of C. frassei ].

“isopod parasites” Rathbun, 1930: 246 [identification of host of types of G. choprae ; see Table 1].

Portunicepon rissoi .— Shiino, 1934: 276 [table of characters].

Cancricepon choprai (sic).— Bourdon, 1971: 387 –389 [mention].

Cancricepon (Grapsicepon) choprai (sic).— Bourdon, 1971: 389 [mention].

Cancricepon choprae .— Markham, 1975: 56 –61, figs 1–3 [see Table 1].— Markham, 1979: 523 –524 [see Table 1].— Markham, 1986: 158 [mention].— Markham, 1988: 56 [list].— Kensley & Schotte, 1989: 110 [list].—Markham & Donath- Hernández, 1990: 243 [list].— Salazar-Vallejo & Leija-Tristan, 1990: 430 [list].— McDermott, 1991: 90 [mention].— Kensley, 1994: 320 [list].— Camp et al. 1998: 134 [list].— Boyko & Williams, 2004: 367 [see Table 1].— Schotte et al. 2009: 981 [list].—Boyko, 2013: 109 [mention].— Boyko, 2014: 75 [mention as host of C. frassei ].— Shields et al. 2015: 721 [mention], 728 [list].

not Cancricepon choprae .— An, 2009: 5 –6, fig. 3.— Yu & An, 2008: 691 [list] (= C. beibusinus n. sp.).

Material examined. Infesting Micropanope cf. sculptipes Stimpson, 1871 (3.8 mm CW, 2.2 mm CL) (UF 31733); mature dextral female, 1.1 mm (UF 42205), mature male, 1.0 mm (UF 42205), USA, Gulf of Mexico, Florida, 28°26’56”N, 84°40’37”W, north-northwest of St. Petersburg, south of Big Bend area, 200 ft depth (= 60.1 m), 24 May 2012, coll. G. Paulay, N. Evans, F. Michonneau. Additional mature male, 0.8 mm (UF 42205; prepared for SEM), same locality as other specimens.

Description. Female (UF42205) length 1.1 mm; maximum width (across pereomere 5) 0.8 mm; head length 0.4 mm; head width 0.6 mm; pleon length 0.5 mm. All segments of body distinct ( Fig. 1A ).

Head subovate, frontal margin slightly bilobate medially. Frontal lamina large and extending beyond sides and frontal margin of head. Eye pigment on extreme edge of head at junction with frontal lamina. Antennules and antennae with two articles each, terminally setose. Barbula with two slender falcate pointed lateral projections on each side, outer projections larger than inner ones, middle region smooth ( Fig. 1B ). Maxilliped with prominent anterior segment, large palp fringed with setae, plectron triangular, short and blunt ( Fig. 1C ).

Pereon broadest across pereomere 5. Subcircular tergal projections prominent on pereomere 2–4, coxal plates rudimentary. Last three pereomeres with overlapping, posteriorly directed mid-dorsal projections ( Fig. 1D ). Oostegites almost enclosing brood pouch, oostegite 1 ( Fig. 1E, F ) with subcircular anterior article, almost equal in length to posterior article, internal ridge smooth without any tubercles, posterior article triangular. Pereopods subequal in structure, first two and last two pairs smaller than pairs 3–5 ( Fig. 1A ). All pereopods with elongate ischia, triangular meri, and blunt dactyli.

Pleon with six segments, first five pleomeres bearing 5 pairs of biramous pleopods and uniramous lateral plates, all margins slightly undulating, surfaces smooth ( Fig. 1D ). Endopodites of pleopods much smaller than exopodites, globular. Terminal pleomere ending in uniramous uropods, similar to but longer than fifth pleopods, surface smooth, margins slightly undulating ( Fig 1A ).

Male (UF 42205) length 1.0 mm; maximum width (across pereomere 4) 0.3 mm; head length 0.1 mm; head width 0.2 mm. All body regions and segments distinct ( Fig. 1G ). Head elliptical, distinctly separated from first pereomere ( Fig. 1G ). Large, irregular dark eyes near posterolateral corners. Antennules and antennae visible beyond margins of head in dorsal view, of three and five articles each, respectively; both bearing setae on two distalmost articles ( Fig. 1H ).

Pereon with mid-ventral tubercles on all segments. Pereomeres 3–5 subequal in width, patches of pigmentation on pereomeres 2–7 and pleomeres 1–2 ( Fig. 1G ). First two pereopods larger than other five, all with similar structure ( Fig. 1H, I ); all meri and carpi with setae on ventral surface. Propodi of pereopods 2–7 distally produced into comb-like surface receiving tips of dactyli ( Fig. 1H )

Pleon with 6 pleomeres, each narrower than preceding one. First five pleomeres with low, rounded pleopods, without mid-ventral tubercles. Pleomere 6 without uropods, posterolaterally extended into two rami, each tipped with setae.

Remarks. These specimens are similar to those described by previous authors (Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, 1925; Markham, 1975), although smaller than those specimens for which measurements were given. Both males in the present material were identical in all characters except size. The species was previously known from another species of Micropanope Stimpson, 1871 , but this is the first record from M. cf. sculptipes, a species previously unknown to bear any bopyrid. The specimens identified as C. choprae by An (2009) from China do not belong to this species and are described below as C. beibusinus n. sp.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Cancricepon choprae (Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, 1925), female (UF 42205) (A–F); male (UF 42205) (G– I): A, dorsal view; B, barbula, right side; C, right maxilliped, external view; D, pleon, dorsal view (5–7 = pereomeres, 1–5 = pleomeres); E, right oostegite 1, internal view; F, right oostegite 1, external view; G, dorsal view; H, ventral view of head and pereomeres 1 & 2; I, right pereopod 5. Scale bars: A = 250 µm; D = 100 µm; B, C, E–G, I = 150 µm; H = 25 µm.