Caligus pageti Russell, 1925

Boxshall, Geoffrey A. & Bernot, James P., 2023, Resolving taxonomic and nomenclatural problems in the genus Caligus O. F. Müller, 1785 (Copepoda: Caligidae), Zootaxa 5360 (4), pp. 545-567 : 552

Caligus pageti Russell, 1925

Material examined by R. F. Cressey: Syntype female (dissected on slides) from Mugil capito Cuvier, 1829 taken from experimental fish culture ponds in Lake Mary ̊t at Mex, near Alexandria in Egypt, loaned to R . F. Cressey by the Natural History Museum, London (Reg. No. BMNH 1958.4.9.1-22) .

Supplementary Description: Genital complex about 1.2 times longer than wide and about 2.5 times longer than abdomen; abdomen about as long as wide ( Fig. 5A ) with angular posterolateral corners. Caudal rami about twice as long as wide. Antenna ( Fig. 5B ) with rounded swelling proximally and minute seta on anterior margin near middle of subchela. Second exopodal segment of leg 1 ( Fig. 5C ) with 3 plumose setae on posterior margin; spines 1 to 3 slender, each lacking accessory process; seta 4 just longer than spines 2 and 3 but shorter than segment. Leg 2 ( Fig. 5D ) ornamented with patches of densely-packed setules extending onto lateral part of endopodal segment 2; outer spine on first exopodal segment lying obliquely across ramus; spine on second segment short and aligned close to lateral margin of ramus. First exopodal segment of leg 3 ( Fig. 5E ) lacking inner seta, produced into outer distal accessory process ornamented with strip of marginal membrane on apex, and bearing short, slightly curved, outer spine not reaching as far as articulation separating second and third segments. Leg 4 ( Fig. 5F ) comprising protopodal segment and unsegmented exopod armed with 1 outer and 2 distal spines; outer margin spine unornamented, not reaching distal margin; inner distal spine bilaterally spinulate, longer than exopodal segment, outer distal spine unilaterally spinulate, less than one third length of inner spine; pectens lacking.

Remarks. The original description was based on a large amount of material of both sexes and included developmental stages ( Russell, 1925). The species was well characterised and has been recorded since from several other species of mugilids in waters along the Mediterranean coast of North Africa from Egypt to Algeria ( Argilas, 1931; Brian, 1935, Raibaut et al., 1971) and from the Mediterranean coast of France ( Ben Hassine, 1983). The developmental stages of this species were very well described in the PhD thesis of Ben Hassine (1983) but her thesis is not widely available, so some additional features are highlighted here.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Caligus pageti Russell, 1925 adult female (body length 5.6 mm). A, genital complex and abdomen, dorsal; B, antenna, ventral; C, leg 1; D, leg 2; E, leg 3; F, exopod of leg 4.