Ceratothoa contracta (Miers, 1880)

Cymothoa contracta White: 1847: 110 [nomen nudum].

Lironeca contracta Miers, 1880: 466 (footnote).— Avdeev, 1975: 24.— Ellis, 1981: 124.— Trilles, 1994: 176. Livoneca contracta .— Nierstrasz, 1931: 144.

Ceratothoa contracta .— Bruce, 1990: 286.

Types and type locality. The syntypes are held at the Natural History Museum, London (BMNH 1844: 105; 1846: 89) (Ellis 1981; Bruce 1990) from an unknown host. Type locality is unknown according to Ellis (1981) but mentioned as Australia by White (1847) and Miers (1880).

Remarks. White (1847) mentioned a new species, without description or figures, from the collections of the Natural History Museum, London, collected in Australia by J. B. Jukes, Esq. and Earl of Derby. Miers (1880, p.

466) validated the species in a footnote as Lironeca contracta, comparing the species to Ichthyoxenus jellinghausii Herklots, 1870 “…apparently distinguished by the much broader basis articles of the last four pereopods and a subacute rostrum”. Bruce (1990) later transferred the species to Ceratothoa (see Bruce & Bowman 1989) based on antennula, pereopod and pleon morphology, although the body shape is wider than usual for the genus.

A request to borrow the syntypes was unsuccessful as the specimens could not be located or may have been lost (Miranda Lowe, personal communication). Until the specimens can be located and redescribed, C. contracta is regarded as species inquirenda.

Hosts. Unknown.

Distribution. Australia (White 1847; Miers 1880).