Proposal of a new family for Hirodai ohtsukai gen. n. et sp. n. (Crustacea: Copepoda) infesting Uranoscopus guttatus Cuvier, 1829 (Perciformes: Uranoscopidae) from the south-west coast of India

Both male and female of Hirodai ohtsukai gen. n. et sp. n. (Crustacea: Copepoda: Cyclopoida) are described based on specimens recovered from the Dollfus' stargazer Uranoscopus guttatus Cuvier, 1829 (Actinopteri: Perciformes: Uranoscopidae) collected from Colachel, Tamil Nadu, south-west coast of India. Based on the unique morphology of the copepod, which is not similar in characteristics to any of the known cyclopoid families, a new family, Uranoscopicolaidae fam. n., has been proposed to accommodate its only known species, Hirodai ohtsukai gen. n. et sp. n. The genus Hirodai gen. n. has the following combination of characters: (1) general cyclopoid body, possessing four pairs of ventrolateral processes corresponding to the first four pedigerous somites; (2) antennule 6-segmented; (3) antenna 2-segmented, the basal segment with one accessory process, armed with two papillae, one basally and the other terminally and having three setae; distal segment modified into a terminally bent hook; (4) genital double somite is 0.7 times as wide as 5th somite, and 2.1 times as wide as long; genital opening ventral; (5) egg sac multiseriate; (6) maxilliped vestigial in adult female; (7) 2-segmented maxilla, the terminal segment with a ventral robust seta at the middle, the rounded apex armed with a bunch of spinules on both surface, except in the inner middle portion; (8) caudal ramus with two long and two small terminal papillae; and (9) legs 1 to 4 biramous with 3-segmented rami possessing setae, leg 5 uniramous and unsegmented, and leg 6 absent. Ecological remarks on Hirodai ohtsukai gen. n. et sp. n. are also provided.

Automated summary

This study describes the male and female individuals of a newly discovered species, Hirodai ohtsukai, found on the southwest coast of India. Based on its unique morphology, a new family, Uranoscopicolaidae, has been proposed to accommodate this species. The genus Hirodai has several distinctive characteristics, such as a cyclopoid body, 6-segmented antennule, and 2-segmented antenna.