Vol. 42 No. 2, 2003

Solution to the Taxonomic Confusion Surrounding Caligus epinepheli Yamaguti, a Caligid Copepod (Siphonostomatoida) Parasitic on Marine Fishes

Ju-shey Ho^1,* and Chin-Long Lin²

¹Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, CA 90840-3702, USA
²Department of Aquatic Biosciences, National Chiayi University, Chiayi, Taiwan 60083

Ju-shey Ho and Ching-Long Lin (2003) Comparative studies of specimens of Caligus recovered from Scolopsis vosmeri (Bloch), Lobotes surinamensis (Bloch), and Acanthopagrus schlegeli Bleeker caught in the waters of Taiwan revealed that Caligus pagrosomi Yamaguti, 1939 is a valid species, not synonymous with C. epinepheli Yamaguti, 1936 as proposed by T. Byrnes in 1987. Furthermore, C. epinepheli is restricted to the temperate waters of Asia and Oceania. Those specimens reported as C. epinepheli from the Caribbean Sea by R. F. Cressey in 1991 belong to a separate species, which is proposed to be called Caligus cresseyi nom. nov. Moreover, a new subspecies, Caligus pagrosomi schlegeli subsp. nov., is described based on the specimens obtained from Taiwan.

Key words: Caligus epinepheli, Sea lice, Taiwan, Marine fish.

*Correspondence: Tel: 1-562-9854812. Fax: 1-562-9858878. E-mail: jsho@csulb.edu