title: A new species of chondracanthid copepod parasitic in the pharynx of hagfishes (Myxiniformes: Myxinidae) from off Taiwan.
abstract: A new species of Acanthochondria Oakley, 1927 (Copepoda, Poecilostomatoida, Chondracanthidae), parasitic in the pharynx of hagfishes Eptatretus burgeri (Girard), E. sheni (Kuo, Huang & Mok) and E. yangi (Teng), from off Taiwan is described and illustrated. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by having the neck region longer than wide (about 2-3 times as long as wide), the moderately long protopod of leg 2 (Type E), the endopod of leg 2 as large as exopod, the cephalosome wider than long, the armature formula of antennule (1, 1, 2, 2, 9), the relatively long trunk (6.7 mm) and egg-sacs (14.4 mm). This is the first record of a parasitic chondracanthid from hagfishes. The findings may provide insights into the phylogenetic relationships and interactions among chondracanthids, hagfishes and demersal fishes, but call for further molecular studies.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-Rong
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Hao-Yuan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Chang-Feng
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Hsiu-Hui
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Shih
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D033342:Copepoda / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification* / Q000502:physiology; D006196:Hagfishes / Q000469:parasitology*; D010614:Pharynx / Q000469:parasitology*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013624:Taiwan