ZS Issue

A Review of the Parasitic Isopod Genus Epicepon Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, 1931 (Crustacea: Isopoda: Epicaridea), Parasites of Cyclodorippoid Crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura), with Description of a New Species from New Caledonia

Christopher B. Boyko^*, Jason D. Williams

Christopher B. Boyko

Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA

Department of Biology, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA.

cboyko@amnh.org

Jason D. Williams

Department of Biology, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA.

biojdw@hofstra.edu

Communicated by Benny Kwok Kan Chan

A new species of the parasitic isopod genus Epicepon Nierstrasz & Brender ?Brandis, 1931 (Isopoda: Bopyridae) found parasitizing the cyclodorippoid crab host Tymolus hirtipes Tan & Huang, 2000 is described from New Caledonia. Females of Epicepon belema n. sp. can be distinguished from those of the other two species in the genus in length to width ratio, pleopodal endopod morphology, and structure of the barbula. We review the two previously described species of Epicepon from Tymolus Stimpson, 1858 hosts based on type specimens of E. indicum Nierstrasz & Brender ?Brandis, 1931 from Indonesia and type specimens plus new material of E. japonicum Nierstrasz & Brender ?Brandis, 1931 from Japan. New details previously omitted from the original descriptions and a key to speciesof Epicepon based on female and male specimens are provided.

Keywords

Bopyridae, Indonesia, Japan, Podotremata, Tymolus.