A new species of bopyrid isopod parasitic on the deep-sea squat lobster Munida spinosa from the Southwest Atlantic Ocean

PEREIRA, E.; DOTI, B. L.; ROCCATAGLIATA, D.

Organizado de manera virtual

Congreso; Deep Sea Biology Symposium; 2020

Deep Sea Biology Society

The taxonomy of the genus Pseudione remains unresolved and at present, a heterogeneous assemblage of species, which are not congeneric with the type species of the genus Pseudione, is provisionally named ?Pseudione sensu lato?. A new bopyrid that belongs to this group of species is herein reported. This parasite (an ovigerous female and its accompanied male) was found inside the right branchial chamber of Munida spinosa Henderson, 1885, a squat lobster that distributes along the Argentine Continental slope from off Buenos Aires Province to Malvinas (Falkland) Islands and Burdwood Bank. This infested squat lobster was collected with a bottom otter trawl in the Mar del Plata submarine canyon (38°01.49?S, 54°44.17?W) at 819 m depth during the ?Talud Continental I? survey, carried out by the Argentine RV Puerto Deseado in 2012. This is the first mention of a bopyrid isopod infesting Munida spinosa. This parasite has crenulated coxal plates and thus, it seems to belong to the Pseudione ?crénelés? group proposed by Bourdon. This group currently contains seven species, all of them infesting anomuran decapods (families Munididae and Munidopsidae). The new parasite herein reported can be separated from the other species of the ?crénelés? group by presenting the following combination of characters: (1) frontal lamina narrow and smooth, (2) both sides of the body convex, and (3) tergal projections I-V with irregular margins (more evident on right side). Finally, based on the new information provided in this study, the taxonomic status of the ?crénelés" group is briefly discussed.