title: Two new cryptic and sympatric species of the king crab parasite Briarosaccus (Cirripedia: Rhizocephala) in the North Pacific.
abstract: Rhizocephalan barnacles have been reported to parasitize a wide range of king crab species (Lithodidae). So far all these parasites have been assigned to a single species,Briarosaccus callosusBoschma, 1930, which is assumed to have a global distribution. Here we investigateBriarosaccusspecimens from three different king crab hosts from the fjord systems of Southeastern Alaska:Lithodes aequispinusBenedict, 1895,Paralithodes camtschaticus(Tilesius, 1815), andParalithodes platypus(Brandt, 1850). Using molecular markers and by morphological comparison we show thatBriarosaccusspecimens from these three commercial exploited king crabs are in fact morphologically distinct fromB. callosus, and further represent two separate species which we describe. The two new species,Briarosaccus auratumn. sp. andB. regalisn. sp., are cryptic by morphological means and were identified as distinct species by the use of genetic markers (COI and 16S). They occur sympatrically, yet no overlap in king crab hosts occurs, withB. auratumn. sp. only found onL. aequispinus, andB. regalisn. sp. as parasite of the twoParalithodeshosts.
authors.affiliation: Marine Biodiversity Group, Department of Biology, University of Bergen Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Noever
authors.affiliation: Alaska Department of Fish and Game Juneau, AK, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.affiliation: Marine Biodiversity Group, Department of Biology, University of BergenBergen, Norway; CMEC, Natural History Museum, University of CopenhagenDenmark.
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Glenner
keywords: 16S; COI; DNA; Lithodidae; cryptic speciation; parasites; species delimitation; sympatric occurrence