Cymothoa epimerica Avdeev, 1979

Hadfield, Kerry A., Bruce, Niel L. & Smit, Nico J., 2013, Review of the fish-parasitic genus Cymothoa Fabricius, 1793 (Isopoda, Cymothoidae, Crustacea) from the southwestern Indian Ocean, including a new species from South Africa, Zootaxa 3640 (2), pp. 152-176 : 157-158

Cymothoa epimerica Avdeev, 1979

Cymothoa epimerica Avdeev, 1979: 225 –227, pl. 2–3; Trilles, 1994: 139; 2008: 23, 26.

Remarks. Cymothoa epimerica can best be identified by the wide and obtuse body; pleonite 1 mostly concealed in dorsal view by pereonite 7; the short uropods that do not extend to the pleotelson posterior margin; carinae on pereopods 5 and 6 which form a posteriorly directed point; acute coxae; pleon and pleotelson sub-equal in width; and pereonite 1 lateral margins with slight protrusions as well as short, wide anterolateral extensions.

Trilles (2008) recorded C. epimerica from the Seychelles and the Red Sea, without illustrations. These records are distant from the original locality off northwestern Australia although the only recorded host fish, Epinephelus malabaricus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) is known from both these localities. Examination of Trilles’ (2008) specimens and comparisons to the type material are needed to confirm this distribution. Trilles (2008) further commented that C. epimerica is very similar to C. curta Schioedte & Meinert, 1884 . Comparison of the holotype of C. epimerica to the holotype of C. curta , would be necessary to confirm this potential synonymy. We were unable to locate or obtain type material for either species during the course of this study.

Hosts. Known only from Epinephelus malabaricus (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) (see Avdeev 1979).

Distribution. The type locality is off north-western Australia (Avdeev 1979). Subsequently recorded from the Seychelles and Red Sea (Trilles 2008).