A redescription of the female ofLernaeopoda biviaLeigh-Sharpe, 1930 (Lernaeopodidae: Siphonostomatoida) and a first description of the male

Within the family Lernaeopodidae Milne Edwards, 1840 the females ofLernaeopodaspp. are very similar to those ofNeoalbionellaspp. Contrarily, the male morphology is different enough to allow distinction between species of the two genera. Unfortunately, males are not always attached to collected females and therefore often not described. Hence the validity of some of theLernaeopodaspp. are still questionable due to incomplete descriptions of the female and no description of the male.Lernaeopoda biviaLeigh-Sharpe, 1930 is an example of an accepted species due to a redescription of the female done in 1986 but without a description of the male.Lernaeopoda biviahas only been reported twice, collected fromSchroederichthys bivius(Muller & Henle). Recently, females with attached males were collected fromTriakis semifaciataGirard from Inner Cabrillo Beach in southern California. The female morphology ofL. biviais similar to the previous redescription with some additional features and illustrations while the male conforms to the morphology of males ofLernaeopodaspp. The dental formula of males and females of the species of the genus differ with males having one P1, S1 less than females. The structure and armature of the appendages of the three described species of males (L.galeiKroyer, 1837,L.bidiscalisKane, 1892 andL.bivia) is mostly similar with the tympanal membrane of the three species the most distinctive feature. A key to identify the females of the valid species ofLernaeopodais provided.