Cymothoa epimerica Avdeev, 1979

Martin, Melissa B., Tuah, Alia, Muhamad, Juariah H. & Bruce, Niel L., 2022, A review of the family Cymothoidae (Isopoda: Cymothooidea) infesting marine fishes from Malaysian waters, with new host and geographical records, Zootaxa 5222 (1), pp. 1-36 : 9-10

Cymothoa epimerica Avdeev, 1979

( Fig. 5 A–D )

Cymothoa epimerica .— Bruce, Lew, Ton & Poore, 2002: 175.— Hadfield, Bruce & Smit, 2013: 157 .— Martin, Bruce & Nowak, 2016: 10 , figs 3–8.

Cymothoa pulchra .— Yu & Li, 2003a: 228, fig. 5; 2003b: 267.

Type material. Female holotype, Russian Pacific Federal Fisheries Research Institute, Vladivostok ( TINRO АGK 75023 ) ( Martin et al. 2016) .

Type locality. Indian Ocean off Australia ( Martin et al. 2016) .

Type host. Malabar blood snapper Lutjanus malabaricus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) ( Martin et al. 2016) .

Material examined. 2 ovig. ♀ (range: 3.92 mm TL, mean: 20.27 mm TL; range: 3.7 mm W, mean: 9.18 mm) ( UMT Crus 01164, 01165), 5 mature ♁ (range: 1.6 mm TL, mean: 13.34 mm TL; range: 1.79 mm W, mean: 5.45 mm W) ( UMT Crus 01166, 01169, 01167, 01168, 01170), 4 juveniles ♁ (range: 2.1 mm TL, mean: 8.02 mm TL; range: 0.96 mm W, mean: 3.32 mm W) ( UMT Crus 01171, 01174, 01172, 01173); leg 4, ST 121, EEZ, 04º 19’ 38” N; 103º 43’ 50” E, 18 June 2016 via bottom trawl .

Host. Host species were not recorded by the SEAFDEC expedition crew; previously recorded from the family Serranidae : Epinephelus coioides (Hamilton, 1822) ( Martin et al. 2016) and family Lutjanidae : Lutjanus malabaricus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) ( Avdeev 1979a) .

Distribution. Australia, Northern Territory ( Martin et al. 2016); South China Sea, Peninsular Malaysia (present material).

Remarks. Cymothoa epimerica is here newly recorded for Malaysian waters and identified by ovoid body; subtriangular cephalon deeply immersed in pereonite 1; pereonite 1 anterolateral margins deeply curved towards cephalon; pereopods 5–7 superior proximal margin with acute carinae, dorsally visible; coxae 6 and 7 posteroventral margins acute, dorsally visible ( Martin et al. 2016) (not as prominent in Cymothoa eremita or Cymothoa pulchrum ). Cymothoa epimerica and C. curta with similarly ovoid body, pleotelson posterior margin rounded and cephalon immersed in pereonite 1. Cymothoa curta differs from C. epimerica in small, acute anterolateral pereonite 1 margin; posterolateral coxae margins rounded, not dorsally visible; pereopod 6 basis superior proximal margin rounded; pereopod 7 basis highly raised, broad; uropodal rami broader than C. epimerica , uropod apices rounded; smooth mesial and lateral pleopod 1–5 margins ( Martin et al. 2016).

Cymothoa epimerica from Seychelles (SMF-76) and the Red Sea (SMF-567 and SMF-572) without host association or illustrations has been documented by Trilles (2008), who briefly mentioned the similarities between Cymothoa epimerica and Cymothoa curta .

Figures

FIGURE 5. Cymothoa epimerica Avdeev, 1979. A, dorsal view; B, ventral view, ovigerous female (22.3 mm), (UMT Crus 01164); C, dorsal view; D, ventral view, male (9.25 mm), (UMT Crus 01171). Scale: 5 mm.