Vol. 60, 2021

(update: 2021.02.01)
 

A Taxonomic Review of the Buccal-attaching Fish Parasite genus Lobothorax Bleeker, 1857 (Crustacea: Isopoda: Cymothoidae) with Description of a New Species from Southwestern India

Panakkool Thamban Aneesh^1,*, Niel L. Bruce^2,3, Appukuttannair Biju Kumar¹, M. Raj Bincy⁴, and T. Mohanan Sreenath⁴

¹Department of Aquatic Biology & Fisheries, University of Kerala, Karyavattom, Thiruvananthapuram-695 581, Kerala, India. *Correspondence: E-mail: anee3716@gmail.com (Aneesh)
E-mail: bijupuzhayoram@gmail.com (Kumar)
²Biodiversity & Geosciences Program, Queensland Museum, PO Box: 3300, South Brisbane BC, Queensland 4101, Australia. E-mail: niel.bruce@qm.qld.gov.au (Bruce)
³Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management and Water Research Group (Ecology), North West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa
⁴School of Ocean Science & Technology, Kerala University of Fisheries & Ocean Studies. E-mail: bincymraj.21@gmail.com (Bincy); sreenath@kufos.ac.in (Sreenath)

Received 22 August 2020 / Accepted 20 January 2021
Communicated by Benny K.K. Chan

The genus Lobothorax Bleeker, 1857 is revised with the description of a new species collected from the gempylidaen fish Promethichthys prometheus (Cuvier, 1832) from the southwestern coast of India. A revised generic diagnosis is provided based on the redescription of the type species. Lobothorax aurita (Schioedte and Meinert, 1883) is here synonymised with Lobothorax typus Bleeker, 1857 based on the original description. Lobothorax nicosmiti Aneesh, Bruce and Kumar sp. nov. is described from the female stage and it is characterized by: pereonite 1 anterolateral expansion not extending to the anterior margin of cephalon; coarsely pitted pereonites dorsal surfaces; pereonites without dorsal median longitudinal ridges; anteriorly truncate cephalon; pleotelson about 0.6 times as long as wide, posterior margin weakly emarginate, broadly sub-truncate, lateral margins convex; maxilliped palp article 3 with three RS; pereopods basis much wider with prominent carina. A key to the species of Lobothorax Bleeker, 1857 is presented.

Key words: Fish parasite, Cymothoidae, Lobothorax, New species, Indian Ocean.

Citation: Aneesh PT, Bruce NL, Kumar AB, Bincy MR, Sreenath TM. 2021. A taxonomic review of the buccal-attaching fish parasite genus Lobothorax Bleeker, 1857 (Crustacea: Isopoda: Cymothoidae) with description of a new species from southwestern India. Zool Stud 60:13. doi:10.6620/ZS.2021.60-13.