Lernaeenicus Lesueur, 1924

Raja, Kuzhanthaivel, Saravanakumar, Ayyapan, Gopalakrishnan, Ayyaru, Vijayakumar, Ramalingam, Hwang, Ui Wook & Maran, Balu Alagar Venmathi, 2016, The genus Lernaeenicus Lesueur (Copepoda, Siphonostomatoida, Pennellidae) in India: a checklist with notes on its taxonomy and ecology, Zootaxa 4174 (1), pp. 192-211 : 195

Lernaeenicus Lesueur, 1924

A total of nine Lernaeenicus species were collected (Table 1), three of which are possibly new to science: (1) L. alatus Rangnekar, 1962 (host: Indo-Pacific king mackerel Scomberomorus guttatus (Bloch & Schneider, 1901) , infection site: fins of dorsal and caudal) ( Fig. 2 ); (2) L. anchoviellae Sebastian & George, 1964 (host: golden trevally Gnathanodon speciosus ( Forsskål, 1775) , infection site: dorsal side of the body) ( Fig. 3 ); (3) L. hemirhamphi Kirtisinghe, 1932 (hosts: blue-barred halfbeak Hemiramphus far ( Forsskål, 1775) , Lutke’s halfbeak H. lutkei Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1847a and ribbon halfbeak Euleptorhamphus viridis (van Hasselt, 1823b) , infection site: entire body but preferably lateral and ventral sides) ( Fig. 4 ); (4) L. polynemi Bassett-Smith, 1898 (host: fourfinger threadfin Eleutheronema tetradactylum ( Shaw, 1804) , infection site: entire body including fins and rays) ( Fig. 5 ); (5) L. seeri Kirtisinghe, 1934 (host: wahoo Acanthocybium solandri (Cuvier in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1832) , infection site: entire body but preferably ventral region) ( Fig. 6 ); (6) L. stromatei Gnanamuthu, 1953 (host: black pomfret Parastromateus niger ( Bloch, 1795) , infection sites: cloaca, eye ball and nostrils) ( Fig. 7 ). Three unidentified species and their diagnostic features are presented below.

Figures

FIGURE 2. (A) Scomberomorus guttatus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) infected by Lernaeenicus alatus Rangnekar, 1962; (B, C, D) enlarged view of infection sites on the body and caudal fin. Lernaeenicus alatus: (E) habitus, dorsal; (F) head, dorsal; (G) head, ventral; (H) trunk, hind end.

FIGURE 3. Lernaeenicus anchoviellae Sebastian & George, 1964: (A) head, lateral; (B) head, ventral; (C) trunk, hind end.

FIGURE 4. Lernaeenicus hemirhamphi Kirtisinghe, 1932 infecting three different hosts: (A) Hemiramphus far (Forsskål, 1775); (B) H. lutkei Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1847 a; (C) Euleptorhamphus viridis (van Hasselt, 1823 b). Lernaeenicus hemirhamphi: (D) head, dorsal; (E) head, ventral; (F) trunk, hind end.

FIGURE 5. Lernaeenicus polynemi Bassett-Smith, 1898: (A) habitus; (B) trunk; (C) head, dorsal view; (D) hind end with egg strings; (E) hind end.

FIGURE 6. (A) Lernaeenicus seeri Kirtisinghe, 1934 infecting Acanthocybium solandri (Cuvier in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1832). Lernaeenicus seeri: (B) enlarged view; (C) habitus; (D) head, dorsal view.

FIGURE 7. (A) Lernaeenicus stromatei Gnanamuthu, 1953 infecting cloaca of Parastromateus niger (Bloch, 1795). Lernaeenicus stromatei: (B) enlarged cloacal region; (C) head, dorsal view; (D) head, lateral view; (E) hind end of trunk.