Ionella agassizi (Bonnier, 1900)

Pardo, Luis Miguel, Boyko, Christopher B. & Mantelatto, Fernando L., 2009, Description of a new species of Asymmetrione (Isopoda: Bopyridae: Pseudioninae) infesting the hermit crab Paguristes tomentosus (Anomura: Diogenidae) from Peru, with a key to species and a review of southeastern Pacific bopyrids, Journal of Natural History 43 (33 - 34), pp. 2041-2055 : 2051

Ionella agassizi (Bonnier, 1900)

Material examined

Sinistral female and attached male from 20.9 mm shield length male N. uncinata , San Carlos, Valdivia, Chile (39°51´42″S, 73°26´25″W), 5 m depth ( USNM 1125509 ) .

Remarks

Ionella agassizi parasitizes the ghost shrimp Neotrypaea uncinata with prevalence recorded between 28.57 (n = 232) and 33.4% (n = 497) ( Astete-Espinoza and Cáceres 2000; Muñoz and George-Nascimento 1999). This bopyrid has previously been recorded for two localities in the north-central region of Chile (Lenga and Puerto Montt) from the intertidal of sand-mud beaches ( Shiino 1964; Muñoz and George-Nascimento 1999). Parasitism inhibits the gonadal development and secondary sexual characteristics of the hosts ( Muñoz and George-Nascimento 1999), principally due to a decrease in the nutritional status of infested individuals ( Astete-Espinoza and Cáceres 2000).