A parasitic copepod, Neoalbionella sp. (Lernaeopodidae), on the southern lanternshark Etmopterus granulosus (Etmopteridae) off Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile

Abstract

The morphology of an as yet undetermined Neoalbionella species is described from specimens collected from the second dorsal fin of the southern lanternshark Etmopterus granulosus, caught at a submerged ridge off Juan Fernández Archipelago, Southeastern Pacific Ocean, Chile. Two features of the females suggest that this may be an undescribed species: the presence of one secondary denticle on the claw of the maxilliped, and three setae on the outer lobe of the maxillule. However, males are essential to describe new species of Lernaeopodidae but were not found. This is a new host and geographical record of Neoalbionella sp. off the Pacific coast of South America.