Synsynella choprae ( Pearse, 1932 )

Boyko, Christopher B. & Williams, Jason D., 2023, Nomenclatural and taxonomic changes in parasitic isopods (Isopoda: Epicaridea) including two new families and note on the questionable association between monogeneans and bopyrids, Zootaxa 5258 (3), pp. 251-269 : 257-258

Synsynella choprae ( Pearse, 1932)

= Bopyrina crangona Pearse, 1953 n. syn.

Material examined: 1 mature female (2.7 mm) and male (1.3 mm) ( USNM 143663) parasitizing Synalpheus brooksi Coutière, 1909 collected from a sponge by tow netting in Thalassia sp. beds near mangrove swamp, east of Pigeon Point, Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies, Smithsonian-Bredin Caribbean Expedition, Caribee R / V, station number 30-59, 10 April 1959, coll. T. E. Bowman (see collection information at: https://www.biodiversitylibrary. org/bibliography/131770).

Distribution: North Carolina, Georgia, Florida (Gulf of Mexico and Dry Tortugas), Bahamas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Haiti ( Pearse 1953; Markham 1985).

Hosts: Alpheus formosus Gibbes, 1850 , Synalpheus brooksi Coutière, 1909 , S. minus (Say, 1818) , S. pandionis Coutière, 1909 ( Pearse 1953; Markham 1985).

Remarks: The status of Bopyrina crangona has not been assessed in any formal publication since it was introduced by Pearse (1953). The original description and illustrations, especially of the female are rather poor, and there are errors (the female is described as having either only four pairs of pereopods or pereopods 1–4, 6, and 7; it is not possible to determine which from Pearse’s wording but neither is correct). Unfortunately, both the holotype (USNM 95120) and allotype (USNM 95121) were mounted on slides and have deteriorated ( Fig. 3D, E ), and it is no longer possible to make out the taxonomically important features of the specimens.

The only mentions of Bopyrina crangona in the literature subsequent to the original description are in one key to species ( Schultz 1969) and in one list ( Kelley 1978) as well as a mention in a paper pointing out that the species name was incorrectly formed ( Steyskal 1969; who indicated it should have been “ crangonis ”). In his dissertation, Markham (1974a) discussed the status of this species based on his examination of the types (likely already in poor condition when he viewed them) and concluded that it was a synonym of Bopyro choprae Pearse, 1932 but he did not publish this information nor mention B. crangona in any of his later papers, including the overview of parasites of carideans in the western Atlantic ( Markham 1985). Kruczynski & Menzies (1977) transferred B. choprae to Synsynella as a synonym of Synsynella deformans Hay, 1917 but both Bourdon (1981b) and Markham (1985) considered it to be a distinct species, Synsynella choprae . Bourdon (1981b) emended the species name to “ choprai ” due to a perceived misidentification of the gender of B. Chopra. However, ICZN Article 31.1.3 requires the original spelling to be maintained as there is no evidence in Pearse’s (1953) paper as to the gender of B. Chopra; his full name was Bashambhar Nath Chopra (1898–1966), Director of the Zoological Survey of India, Indian Museum, Kolkata from 1944–1947. ICZN Article 33.3.1 also applies here as the original spelling is in prevailing usage.

Based on the description and illustrations of Pearse (1953) and our examination of additional specimens (USNM 143663) identified as this species by John Markham ( Fig. 3A–D ), we concur with Markham (1974a) and formally place Bopyrina crangona in synonymy with Synsynella choprae . The female specimen ( Fig. 3A, B ) matches the previous descriptions of S. choprae , including the female exhibiting a fully open brood pouch and oostegites 4 and 5 nearly three times as long as broad (see Markham 1985). However, the female pleon ( Fig. 3C ) is mostly fused and exhibits only two pairs of pleopods (the degree of pleonal fusion and number of pleopods has been shown to be variable in the genus; see Bourdon 1968). Synsynella choprae is morphologically very similar to S. deformans but, in addition to the female characters mentioned above, the species are distinguished by the antennae and pleopods of males ( S. choprae has antennules and antennae of 3 and 2 segments, respectively, and a very reduced or absent fourth pair of pleopods versus S. deformans with both antennules and antennae of 3 segments each and a small but distinct fourth pair of pleopods). The male examined herein ( Fig. 3D ) matches that of S. choprae in these and other characters.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Synsynella choprae (Pearse, 1932) (originally identified as Bopyrina crangona Pearse, 1953) from Synalpheus brooksi Coutière, 1909 (USNM 143663). A, female, dorsal view; B, female, ventral view; C, female pleon, dorsal view; D, male, dorsal view. E, Bopyrina crangona Pearse, 1953, holotype on slide (USNM 95120). F, Bopyrina crangona Pearse, 1953, allotype on slide (USNM 95121). Scale bars: A–C = 500 µm; D = 250 µm; E, F are 75 mm microscope slides.