Recent and fossil Isopoda Bopyridae parasitic on squat lobsters and porcelain crabs (Crustacea: Anomura: Chirostyloidea and Galatheoidea), with notes on nomenclature and biogeography

Abstract

The parasitic isopod family Bopyridae contains approximately 600 species that parasitize calanoid copepods as larvae and decapod crustaceans as adults. In total, 105 species of these parasites (~18% of all bopyrids) are documented from Recent squat lobsters and porcelain crabs in the superfamilies Chirostyloidea and Galatheoidea. Aside from one endoparasite, all the bopyrids reported herein belong to the branchially infesting subfamily Pseudioninae. Approximately 29% (67 of 233 species) of pseudionine species parasitize squat lobsters and 16% (38 of 233 species) parasitize porcelain crabs. Bopyrids are found in five of six squat lobster families (lacking only in Kiwaidae) and the sole porcelain crab family Porcellanidae. Six pseudionine genera are shared between squat lobsters and porcelain crabs. The deepest bathymetric records of bopyrids on squat lobster hosts (5210 m), and records of swellings interpreted as indications of bopyrid presence in fossil host taxa are noted. Four nomenclatural issues are resolved and the proper form of citation for the French zoologist C. E. Hesse is provided. Biogeographic distributions for squat lobsters and porcelain crabs are discussed and compared to those of hermit crabs.

The Global Diversity of Parasitic Isopods Associated with Crustacean Hosts (Isopoda: Bopyroidea and Cryptoniscoidea)

“…Parasitization of decapods by bopyrids is seen in the fossil record and extends back to at least the Jurassic [5] , including several records in squat lobsters (Galatheoidea, see [18] , [19] ), a taxon thought a likely candidate for being the first target of epicaridean parasitism in decapods. Identification beyond recognition of a bopyrid presence in fossils is impossible, as only the characteristic swelling of host branchial chambers exists and no species of fossil bopyrids have ever been described.…”

“…Entoniscidae shows highest diversity in the North West Pacific (10 species) and North East Atlantic (8 species) but, surprisingly, there are no species described from the biodiverse East Asian Sea or Central Indian Ocean ( Figure 5D ). This “absence” is likely a reflection of the fact that entoniscids are all endoparasitic and their hosts typically need dissection for parasites to be detected [18] . East Africa (including Madagascar) has no recorded species of cryptoniscoids, dajids, or entoniscids, but this region is likely to contain examples of all three groups as many suitable hosts occur there.…”

“…East Africa (including Madagascar) has no recorded species of cryptoniscoids, dajids, or entoniscids, but this region is likely to contain examples of all three groups as many suitable hosts occur there. Lack of species in a region as a result of lack of sampling, rather than reflecting real biogeographic patterns, has been demonstrated for bopyrids [18] , [52] .…”

Parasites in the Fossil Record: A Cretaceous Fauna with Isopod-Infested Decapod Crustaceans, Infestation Patterns through Time, and a New Ichnotaxon

“…Entoniscids are endoparasitic, whereas members of the two other families are mostly ectoparasitic, inclusive of occurrence under the cuticle on the gills [8] . Bopyrids and ionids have been recorded from a variety of extant decapod crustaceans including shrimps, Anomura, and Brachyura [8] , [10] . These ectoparasitic epicarideans cause the formation of swellings (‘cysts’) or deformations of the cuticle of their hosts, often in the branchial region of decapod crustaceans.…”

Collecting and Preserving Marine and Freshwater Isopoda (Crustacea: Peracarida)

“…Approximately half of all isopod species live on land; the other half are aquatic. Of the aquatic species roughly 6,250 are marine (Poore and Bruce 2012Williams and Boyko 2012, Wetzer et al 2013, Boyko et al 2012, Boyko et al 2013, Smit et al 2014) and 500 species are associated with freshwater. With approximately 10,000 described species and a fossil record dating back to at least the Carboniferous (300 mya), isopod diversity and persistence is truly remarkable.…”