A SYSTEMATIC REVISION OF KROYERIA (COPEPODA: SIPHONOSTOMATOIDA): FIVE NEW SPECIES, 11 REDESCRIPTIONS, AND A MORPHOLOGICAL PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF THE GENUS.

Abstract

This study focuses on the taxonomy and systematics of Kroyeria, a genus of ectoparasitic copepods found on the gills of sharks. Members of the genus Kroyeria exhibit species-specific appendage ornamentation, including denticles, membranes, and setules, in addition to the setae and spines typical of most copepods. The taxonomy and systematics of Kroyeria have been hampered by the lack of observation of these fine morphological details. This study is a systematic revision of the genus in which 11 species of Kroyeria are redescribed, 6 species are synonymized, and 5 new species are described: Kroyeria branchiocetes n. sp. from Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos from the Red Sea, Kroyeria cresseyi n. sp. from Triakis semifasciata from off California, Kroyeria decepta n. sp. from Carcharhinus obscurus from the Pacific Ocean off Mexico, Kroyeria procerobscena n. sp. from Carcharhinus leucas from off Madagascar, and Kroyeria rhophemophaga n. sp. from Galeorhinus galeus from off California. With this work, Kroyeria now comprises 20 valid species. The 16 species of Kroyeria that were examined in this study were scored for 44 morphological characters, which were used for a phylogenetic analysis of the genus.