Molecular assessment of three species of Anilocra (Isopoda, Cymothoidae) ectoparasites from Caribbean coral reef fishes, with the description of Anilocra brillae sp. n.

Abstract

A morphological review and molecular characterization of <i>Anilocra haemuli</i> Bunkley Williams & Williams, 1981, were completed using specimens collected from <i>Haemulon flavolineatum</i> Desmarest, 1823 (French grunt) and <i>Epinephelus guttatus</i> Linnaeus, 1758 (red hind). Molecular and morphological data suggest that the isopods parasitizing <i>H. flavolineatum</i> and <i>E. guttatus</i> are different species. The specimens collected from <i>E. guttatus</i> are recognized as a new species, <i>Anilocra brillae</i><b>sp. n.</b> Differences between <i>Anilocra brillae</i><b>sp. n.</b> and <i>A. haemuli</i> include but are not limited to the pleonites 1-3 of <i>A. brillae</i><b>sp. n</b>. being wider than 4-5 and 4-5 subequal, whereas the pleonites 1-2 of <i>A. haemuli</i> are wider than 3-5, and 3-5 are subequal. The seventh pereopod of <i>A. brillae</i><b>sp. n.</b> is proportionally larger, has more robust setae, and the setae are distributed more extensively over the articles when compared to <i>A. haemuli</i>. Additionally, this study provides the first genetic characterization of three <i>Anilocra</i> spp. from the Caribbean, and is based on mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit gene (COI) for <i>A. haemuli</i> from <i>H. flavolineatum</i>, <i>A. brillae</i><b>sp. n.</b> from <i>E. guttatus</i>, and <i>A. chromis</i> Bunkley Williams & Williams, 1981 from <i>Chromis multilineata</i> Guichenot, 1853.