Untold diversity: the astonishing species richness of the Notodelphyidae (Copepoda: Cyclopoida), a family of symbiotic copepods associated with ascidians (Tunicata)

Detailed study of the Monniot collection of copepods belonging to the family Notodelphyidae has revealed an extraordinary diversity of novel taxa. With rare exceptions notodelphyids live in association with ascidians and the Monniot collection was built up over several decades of field collecting and taxonomic research on the ascidian hosts by Drs Claude & Françoise Monniot (MNHN, Paris). This paper describes a total of 178 new species of notodelphyids from ascidian hosts and 37 new genera are established: Bathynotodelphys gen.nov., Pronotodelphys gen. nov., Ooishillgia gen. nov., Nobinerilla gen. nov., Notopygus gen. nov., Chelipygus gen. nov., Sympygus gen. nov., Vaoda gen. nov., Gosbia gen. nov., Pentachaetus gen. nov., Diceratus gen. nov., Prodoroixys gen. nov., Notoixys gen. nov., Borixys gen. nov., Cystixys gen. nov., Ammonixys gen. nov., Ctenixys gen. nov., Ademoixys gen. nov., Gallincola gen. nov., Scoliosoma gen. nov., Contoura gen. nov., Unimeria gen. nov., Mecodelphys gen. nov., Tubipedia gen. nov., Procampodelphys gen. nov., Janius gen. nov., Campodelphys gen. nov., Hamaticoxa gen. nov., Adrodelphys gen. nov., Phyllodelphys gen. nov., Lissodelphys gen. nov., Nodoscarus gen. nov., Diblastus gen. nov., Chilodelphys gen. nov., Scaridelphys gen. nov., Socotradelphys gen. nov., and Aplodelphys gen. nov. Prior to this study the Notodelphyidae comprised exactly 200 valid species classified in 46 genera, a mean species richness of 4.3 species per genus. After the addition of the new taxa described here, the family now comprises 378 species in 83 genera, a mean species richness of 4.6 species per genus. Generic diagnoses are provided for all genera represented in the collection and the availability of a wider range of taxa has allowed certain generic boundaries to be better defined, resulting in transfers of species between genera and the recognition of 16 new combinations. A further 51 existing species are also reported, and brief supplementary notes or full redescriptions are provided as appropriate.

A review of Caribbean Copepoda associated with reef-dwelling cnidarians, echinoderms and sponges

This review of copepod crustaceans associated with reef-dwelling cnidarians, sponges and echinoderms of the Greater Caribbean is based on published records, systematically arranged by the classification of symbiotic copepods and their hosts, sampling sites, coordinates, depth and date of sampling, literature sources, and three recent surveys (Cuba, St. Eustatius in the Eastern Caribbean and Curaçao in the Southern Caribbean). This resulted in totals of 532 records of 115 species of symbiotic copepods (47 genera, 17 families, three orders) hosted by 80 species of invertebrates, representing scleractinians (47%), octocorals (9%), echinoderms (3%), and sponges (1%). Among ten Caribbean ecoregions, the Greater Antilles (with 64 species of symbiotic copepods) as well as the Southern and Eastern Caribbean (with 46 and 17 species of copepods, respectively) are the most studied and best represented, whereas only six species of copepods are known from Bermuda, one from Southwestern Caribbean and none from the Gulf of Mexico. The absence of poecilostomatoid copepods (Anchimolgidae, Rhynchomolgidae and Xarifidae) on Caribbean stony corals as noted by Stock (1988) is confirmed. The results indicate that the diversity and ecology of Caribbean symbiotic copepods are still poorly investigated.

Description of Indoclausia helioporae sp. nov. (Copepoda, Clausiidae) from blue coral, associated with a number of polychaetes

This is the first study of Helioporacea Bock, 1938 for symbiotic copepods. A new species of copepod, Indoclausia helioporae sp. nov., was obtained by washing segments of blue coral, Heliopora coerulea (Pallas, 1766), collected from shallow water reefs in southern Taiwan. A full description of the new species is provided. The new species can be easily distinguished from its only congener, Indoclausia bacescui Sebastian & Pillai, 1974, by having (1) a small body of 1.32 × 0.20 mm; (2) a small caudal ramus, 33 × 15 μm; (3) a short antennule with formula: 4, 10, 11, 4, 2 + 1 aesthetasc and 7 + 1 aesthetasc (very short); (4) a 2-segmented maxilliped; (5) the exopod of leg 1 with formula: I-0; III-0; (6) the exopod of leg 2 with formula: I-0; I, III; (7) no seta on the endopod of legs 1 and 2; (8) a uniseriate egg-sac with 6 eggs.

Asterocherids (Copepoda: Siphonostomatoida) associated with marine invertebrates in the Strait of Gibraltar

Six years ago, an ongoing sampling programme to seek symbiont copepods was initiated in the Strait of Gibraltar. Most of the copepod species reported in this area (48%) belonged to the families Notodelphyidae and Botryllophilidae and nearly 30% of them were new to science. This paper describes a new species of Asterocheres (Asterocheridae, Siphonostomatoida) and redescribes two poorly known species of this genus. Asterocheres tarifensis n. sp. was found living in association with Astroides calycularis, a coral that hosts a variety of symbiotic copepods. This new species differs from its congeners by the possession of the following combined characters: body cyclopiform, 21-segmented antennule in female, 2-segmented mandibular palp, siphon reaching the insertion of maxilliped, maxilla without aesthetasc, maxilliped 5-segmented, armature of the antennary exopod consisting of two setae, inner lobe and outer lobe of maxillule each armed with four setae, genital area armed with two setae, fifth leg exopod with three setae, and caudal rami about as long as wide. Furthermore, two poorly known Asterocheres species are redescribed revealing some discrepancies with their previous descriptions. Asterocheres minutus is characterized by having a 21-segmented antennule, a very short oral siphon, a 1-segmented mandibular palp, and the two lobes of the maxillule with a similar length. The cladistic model of budding hypothesis is proposed for the origin of the two sibling Asterocheres species: A. minutus and A. echinicola. Asterocheres siphonatus is distinguished by a combination of characters that include a 21-segmented antennule, an oral siphon extending to the intercoxal plate of leg 4 and the 1-segmented mandibular palp. The controversy concerning the name of this species is also studied.