A redescription of lepeophtheirus erecsoni Thomson, 1891 and some comparisons with L. Scutiger Shiino, 1952 and a new species, L. sheni (Crustacea: Copepoda)

Abstract

Lepeophtheirus erecsoni, a parasitic copepod from New Zealand waters, is redescribed. Specimens of L. scutiger recorded from New Zealand fishes are here reidentified as L. erecsoni, and the host list of this parasite now includes Latridopsis ciliaris, Pseudolabrus miles, P. celidotus, P. pittensis, P. cinctus and Coridodax pullus, of which the last two are new. L. scutiger is redescribed from the type material, and a new species, L. sheni, closely related to L. scutiger, is described. L. scutiger is only known to occur on Hexagrammos otakii from Japanese waters. L. sheni is known to parasitize H. otakii both from Japanese waters and the North China Sea and Platichthys bicoloratus from the Yalukiang Estuary, China. © 1981 Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand.