Catoessa Schiöedte & Meinert, 1884

Ravichandran, S., Vigneshwaran, P. & Rameshkumar, G., 2019, A taxonomic review of the fish parasitic isopod family Cymothoidae Leach, 1818 (Crustacea: Isopoda: Cymothooidea) of India, Zootaxa 4622 (1), pp. 1-99 : 13-14

Genus Catoessa Schiöedte & Meinert, 1884

Catoessa Schiöedte & Meinert, 1884: 309–310 .— Nierstrasz, 1931: 137.— Bowman & Tareen, 1983; 17–18.— Bruce, 1990: 251.— Trilles, 1994:136.— Trilles, Ravichandran & Rameshkumar, 2012: 180.

Type species. Catoessa scabricauda Schiöedte & Meinert, 1884 by monotypy.

Diagnosis. Bruce (1990) provided a provisional diagnosis; a detailed diagnosis was provided by Trilles et al. (2012).

Remarks. Catoessa is still best identified by the pleonite 1 narrower than 2 and pereopods 1–7 without carina on the basis and dilated merus, or with slender carina on basis 6–7 only; cephalon weakly immersed in pereonite 1, with an acute or truncate rostral margin. Pereopods without anterolateral carina on the basis or with only slender carina on basis 6 or 6 and 7, articles not dilated or expanded. Uropods rami not extending posterior of pleotelson or exceeding more or less posterior margin of pleotelson; endopod shorter than exopod.

Bowman & Tareen (1983) and Bruce (1990) considered that the Latin diagnosis of the genus Catoessa contains almost nothing of generic value. On the basis of this diagnosis by Schiöedte & Meinert (1884) and in the light of their study on Catoessa gruneri Bowman & Tareen, 1983 reported that there was little justification for separating Catoessa from Livoneca Leach, 1818 and recognized the little-known genus Catoessa as valid. Later Bruce (1990), reviewing and revising the genera Catoessa , Elthusa Schiöedte et Meinert, 1884 and Livoneca demonstrated that there is a great deal of difference between these three genera. The genus Catoessa was provisionally redefined by Bruce (1990) because the type species was still fully described.

Recently Trilles et al. (2012) provide the detailed diagnosis of the Catoessa based on the type specimen of Catoessa scabricauda Schiöedte & Meinert, 1884 and according to the new data on Catoessa gruneri ( Bowman & Tareen 1983) , Catoessa ambassae ( Bruce 1990) and Catoessa boscii ( Trilles et al. 2012) . It is clear that the genus Catoessa is closely allied to the genus Elthusa as redefined by Bruce (1990) and later by Trilles and Randall (2010).