Dactylokepon cf. hunterae Wells & Wells, 1966

Boyko, Christopher B. & Williams, Jason D., 2024, New records of bopyrid parasites (Crustacea, Isopoda, Epicaridea) of pea crabs (Crustacea, Decapoda, Pinnotheridae) with descriptions of two new species of Rhopalione Pérez, 1921 and a review of the genus, Zoosystema 46 (7), pp. 149-175 : 151-153

Dactylokepon cf. hunterae Wells & Wells, 1966

“parasite in the left branchial chamber” – Rathbun 1924: 17.

“unidentified branchial parasite” – McDermott 2009: 790 [mention of Rathbun’s record].

FIG. 1. — Continuation.

“Unidentified branchial sp.” – McDermott 2009: 792, table 2 [listing of Rathbun’s record].

“unidentified bopyrid” [of Glassella arenicola (Rathbun, 1922) ] – Williams et al. 2023: 533 [list].

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Curaçao • 1 mature ♀ (1.8 mm TL), from left branchial chamber of holotype male of Pinnixa arenicola Rathbun, 1922 (now Glassella arenicola (Rathbun, 1922)) (6 mm CL, 3 mm CW; ZMA.CRUS.D.242240); Spaansche Haven, in sand; 12°04’N, 68°52’W; 16.IV.1920; C. J. van der Horst leg.; RMNH. CRUS.I.250004.

REMARKS

The adult female is very small, damaged (missing uropods?) and appears to have been desiccated previously. However, it closely resembles the female of D. hunterae in general body shape, size of the frontal lamina, lack of middorsal projections on the pereomeres, shape of the coxal plates, and form and number of pleopods ( Wells & Wells 1966). Owing to the damage to the female and lack of a male, we cannot confidently determine if the present specimen is conspecific with D. hunterae , but it is clearly a species of Dactylokepon . Additional differences include that the present female is much smaller than the types of D. hunterae (1.8 vs 6 mm), the localities, although both in the western Atlantic, are relatively distant ( Curaçao vs North Carolina), and the hosts are in different subfamilies (Pinnixinae vs Pinnotherinae). This is the only bopyrid recorded from any host species in Pinnixinae.