Four anchimolgid copepods (Poecilostomatoida: Anchimolgidae) associated with the scleractinian coral Pavona explanulata (Lamarck, 1816) in Taiwan.
Several species of copepods are known to live in association with the coral genus Pavona Lamarck, 1801. In this paper, four poecilostomatoid copepods, including one new genus, two new species, and one species new to Taiwan, are described, i.e. Alienigena triangula gen. et sp. nov., Odontomolgus cognatus sp. nov., O. mucosus Kim, 2006 and Sociellus subgeminus sp. nov. All species were found together in a single washing of the scleractinian coral Pavona explanulata (Lamarck, 1816), collected from shallow water reefs in northern Taiwan. All of them appear closely related to the genera of the Odontomolgus-group in the family Anchimolgidae due to the possession of a large process on the convex margin of the mandible. The present report brings the number of copepod species that live in symbiosis with members of the coral genus Pavona to 17.
Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, No.1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei 106, Taiwan.; Email: d94241001@ntu.edu.tw.
Yu-Rong
YR
Cheng
Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, No.1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei 106, Taiwan.; Email: d94241002@ntu.edu.tw.
Ming-Jay
MJ
Ho
Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, No.1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei 106, Taiwan.; Email: corallab@ntu.edu.tw.
Chang-Feng
CF
Dai
D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa / Q000469:parasitology*; D033342:Copepoda / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D013559:Symbiosis; D013624:Taiwan