Peniculus hokutoae

Peniculus hokutoae
Peniculus hokutoae attached to its host
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Copepoda
Order: Siphonostomatoida
Family: Pennellidae
Genus: Peniculus
Species:
P. hokutoae
Binomial name
Peniculus hokutoae
Ohtsuka, Nishikawa & Boxshall, 2018

Peniculus hokutoae is a species of parasitic pennellid copepod.[1] It was described in 2018 from a single female.[2] The type-host is the myctophid fish Symbolophorus evermanni and the type-locality is off Japan. The Japanese name of this species is hokuto-kozutsu-hijikimushi.[2]

According to Ohtsuka, Nishikawa & Boxshall,[2] this species is the first record of parasitism by the genus Peniculus on a mesopelagic myctophid fish.

The species was distinguished from other congeners by (1) the presence of a conical process anterior to the rostrum; (2) the secondary elongation of the first pedigerous somite; (3) the incorporation of the third and fourth pedigerous somites into the trunk; (4) the unilobate maxillule bearing two unequal apical setae; (5) the lack of any processes on the first segment of the maxilla.[2]

Line drawings of Peniculus hokutoae
  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference WoRMS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference Ohtsuka et al. 2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).