Re: Splanchnotrophus brevipes from The Netherlands

April 30, 2008
From: Michael Schroedl

Concerning message #20171:

Dear Marco,
during the last years we were doing some taxonomic work on worldwide splanchnotrophids. First on (eastern Pacific and Caribbean) Ismaila, and then on Indo-Pacific genera (see references). We also examined some species of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean genera Splanchnotrophus and Lomanoticola. We found that, unfortunately, the old original descriptions of Splanchnotrophus species are not detailed enough to allow proper reidentification (unpublished). We don't know anything about potential morphological variability of species involved either. Our current believe that Splanchnotrophus species can infest different host species may be wrong, since all species of the better explored genera appear to be host-specific.
As many parasites as possible (and of different hosts) should be collected and compared. Best would be fixation with ethanol (90-100%) to also allow molecular work.

• SCHRÖDL, M. 2002. Heavy infestation by endoparasitic copepod crustaceans (Poecilostomatoida: Splanchnotrophidae) in Chilean opisthobranch gastropods, with aspects of splanchnotrophid evolution. Organisms, Diversity & Evolution 2: 19-26.
• HAUMAYR, U. & M. SCHRÖDL. 2003. Revision of the endoparasitic copepod genus Ismaila Bergh, 1867, with description of eight new species (Copepoda, Poecilostomatoida, Splanchnotrophidae). Spixiana 26: 1-33.
• SALMEN, A., WILSON, N.G. & M. SCHRÖDL. In press. Scanning electron microscopical description and biology of three new endoparasitic Ceratosomicola species from tropical Indo-Pacific nudibranch hosts (Crustacea, Copepoda, Poecilostomatoida). Spixiana.
• SALMEN, A., KALIGIS, F., MAMANGKEY, G.F. & M. SCHRÖDL. In review. A new tropical Indo-Pacific Arthurius species from a sacoglossan opisthobranch host (Crustacea, Copepoda, Poecilostomatoida, Splanchnotrophidae). Spixiana.

Best,
Michael

schroedl@zi.biologie.uni-muenchen.de

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