THREE NEW DICYEMIDS FROM OCTOPUS SASAKII (MOLLUSCA: CEPHALOPODA: OCTOPODA)

Three new species of dicyemid mesozoan are described from Octopus sasakii Taki, 1942, collected from Tosa Bay and Kii Strait in Japan. Dicyema shimantoense n. sp. is a medium-size species that reaches about 3,000 mu m in length, and lives in folds of the renal appendages. The vermiform stages are characterized by having 22 peripheral cells, a conical calotte, and an axial cell that extends to the base of the propolar cells. Infusoriform embryos consist of 37 cells; a single nucleus is present in each mu m cell, and the refringent bodies are solid. Dicyema codonocephalum n. sp. is also a medium-size species that reaches about 2,000 mu m in length. It too lives in folds of the renal appendages. The vermiform stages are characterized by having 1722 peripheral cells, an elongated calotte, and an axial cell that extends to the middle of propolar cells. Infusoriform embryos consist of 37 cells; a single nucleus is present in each mu m cell, and the refringent bodies are solid. Dicyemennea pileum n. sp. is a medium species that reaches about 2,000 mu m in length. It attaches to the surface of the renal appendages. The vermiform stages are characterized by having 23 peripheral cells, a disc-shaped calotte, and an axial cell that extends to the propolar cells. An anterior abortive axial cell is absent in vermiform embryos. Infusoriform embryos consist of 38 cells: 2 nuclei are present in each urn cell, and the refringent bodies are liquid. These are the first dicyemids to be described from Octopus sasakii.