Study On The Taxonomy And Zoogeography Of The Family Bopyridae (Crustacea: Isopoda) In The China Seas

The Epicaridea is the only holoparasitic group of the ten known suborders ofthe order Isopoda. The adults are parasitic to decapod crustaceans, and most of theminfest the branchial chambers or cling to the abdomens of their hosts. Mostepicarideans are marine species. Taxonomic studies of epicarideans are difficultbecause their bodies are distorted and greatly modified for parasitic life. Ascompared with the other suborders of Isopoda, the epicaridean fauna of the China seashas been poorly investigated , particularly that of the Yellow Sea and the East ChinaSea, with almost no published records;While that of the South China Sea has beenpartly studied by Markham (1982, 1990, 1992) on species of Hong Kong and adjacentwaters, and by Boyko (2004) on species of Taiwan. The present study is acomprehensive investigation of the taxonomy and zoogeography of Bopyridae of theChina seas.The host crustaceans were collected from the China seas including the Bohai Sea,the Yellow Sea, the East and South China Seas. Materials were collections made bythe National Comprehensive Oceanographic Survey (1958-1960), The China-VietnamComprehensive Oceanographic Survey of the Tonkin Gulf (1959-1960, 1962), TheCAS Xisha Islands Marine Biological Investigation (1975-80), the CAS NanshaIslands Multi-disciplinary Investigation(1985, 1987-2000) and a series ofinvestigations of marine fauna and flora along the China coasts by the Institute ofOceanology, CAS. All species are observed and identified under optic and/orscanning electron microscopy.Among the 11 families of the suborder Epicaridea, the family Bopyridae is thelargest and well investigated group comprising 630 described species, currentlyassigned to 157 genera in ten subfamilies. The present study deals with the bopyridfauna of China seas. Eighty-seven species belonging to 43 genera in sevensubfamilies are described of which 2 genera, 39 species, and 1subspecies are new.Description and figures of the female and male specimens of every species are given.Characteristics of subfamilies and genera are summarized. Keys to species and generaare given. Chinese name of known species are revised and distributions of the 87species are discussed. The materials examined are deposited in the Marine BiologicalMuseum of the Chinese Academy of Sciences based in the Institute of Oceanology.The name list of the 87 species is given as follows (those marked with an asterisk are recorded for the first time from Chinese waters, those marked with twoasterisks are species new to science ):1. Allokepon hendersoni (Giard & Bonnier, 1888) 2. Allokepon longicauda n.sp. 3. Allokepon monodi (Bourdon, 1967) 4. Allokepon multituberus n.sp. 5. Allokepon sheni n.sp. 6. Allorbimorphus tuberculus n.sp. 7. Apocepon digitatum Stock, 19598. Apocepon leucosiae, n.sp. 9. Apocepon pulcher Nierstrasz & Brender á Brandis, 193010. Argeia atlantica Markham, 197711. Argeia pugettensis Dana, 185212. Asymmetrione dardani Bourdon, 1968 13. Asymmetrione margotubera n.sp. 14. Asymmetrorbionoides bicaudus n.sp. 15. Athelges takanoshimensis Ishii, 191416. Bathygyge grandis Hansen, 1897 17. Bopyrella glabra n.sp. 18. Bopyrina abbreviata Richardson, 1904 19. Bopyrinella paramecia n.sp. 20. Bopyrione multifeminae n.sp. 21. Bopyroides hippolytes (Kr?yer, 1838)22. Bopyroides shiinoi Rybakov & Andeev, 199123. Cancricepon choprae (Nierstrasz & Brender á Brandis, 1925) 24. Dactylokepon caribaeus Markham, 197525. Dactylokepon holthuisi Bourdon, 196726. Dactylokepon liagorus n. sp.27. Dactylokepon richardsonae Stebbing, 191028. Dactylokepon semipennatus Bourdon, 198329. Eophrixus branchialis n.sp. 30. Eophrixus shojii Shiino, 194131. Epipenaeon elegans Chopra, 192332. Epipenaeon fissurae Kensley, 197433. Epipenaeon latilamellatum n.sp. 34. Gigantione ishigakiensis Shiino, 194135. Gigantione liagora n.sp. 36. Gigantione serrata n.sp. 37. Gigantione tubidentata n.sp. 38. Gyge branchialis Cornalia & Panceri, 186139. Gyge ovalis (Shiino, 1939)40. Ione cornuta Bate, 1864 41. Megacepon sp.42. Minicopenaeon crosnieri (Bourdon, 1979)43. Minicopenaeon intermedium Bourdon, 198144. Minicopenaeon maculata n. sp. 45. Minicopenaeon sicyonium n. sp. 46. Minicopenaeon sinularium n. sp. 47. Onkokepon articulatus, n. sp. 48. Onkokepon beibuensis, n.sp. 49. Orbimorphus longus n.sp. 50. Orbione halipori Nierstrasz & Brender á Brandis, 192351. Orbione thielemanni Nierstrasz & Brender á Brandis, 193152. Orthione harpiformes n.sp. 53. Ovobopyrus dentatus n.sp. 54. Pagurion spiropagura n.sp. 55. Pagurion tuberculata Shiino, 193356. Parabopyrella barnardi australiensis (Bourdon, 1980) 57. Parabopyrella cuspidata n.sp. 58. Parabopyrella distincta (Nierstrasz and Brender á Brandis, 1923) 59. Parabopyrella elongata (Shiino, 1949) 60. Parabopyrella mortenseni (Nierstrasz and Brender á Brandis, 1929) 61. Parapagurion arrosorum n.sp. 62. Parapagurion glabra n.sp. 63. Parapenaeon expansus Bourdon, 197964. Parapenaeon japonica (Thielemann, 1910)65. Parapenaeon monolioncus n.sp. 66. Parapenaeon trachypenaeus n.sp. 67. Parapenaeonella distincta Shiino, 194968. Parapenaeonella gigans n.sp. 69. Parapenaeonella lamellata Bourdon, 1979 70. Parapenaeonella longicauda n.sp. 71. Parapenaeonella minutupoda n.sp. 72. Parathelges enoshimensis compressus n.ssp73. Pleurocryptella fimbriata Markham, 197474. Procepon liuruiyui n.sp. 75. Progebiophilus sinicus Markham, 198276. Pseudione crenulata G. O. Sars, 189977. Pseudione longicauda Shiino, 193778. Pseudione sp. A79. Pseudione sp. B80. Stegias hainanensis n.sp. 81. Stegoalpheon kempi Chopra, 192382. Trapezicepon jonas n. sp. 83. Tylokepon bonnieri Stebbing, 190684. Tylokepon monoceros n.sp. 85. Upogebione bitubera n.sp. 86. Urobopyrus bicornis n.sp. 87. Urobopyrus processae Richardson, 1904...