﻿PROCEEDINGS OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



by the 



SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 

 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Vol. 102 Washington: 1952 No. 3301 



AN EMENDED DIAGNOSIS OF THE COPEPOD GENUS 

 PUPULINA (CALIGOIDA), WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF 

 NEW SPECIES AND A EEDESCRIPTION OF THE GENO- 

 TYPE 



By Mildred Stratton Wilson 



The caligoid copepod parasite Pupulina has been an imperfectly 

 known genus since its discovery in 1892. The original description by 

 van Beneden was incomplete, and attached to it, as the description 

 of the male, was the diagnosis of an immature female of another genus. 

 Not until 1935 was its validity definitely established, by Dr. Charles 

 Branch Wilson, through the description of both sexes of the genotype, 

 Pupulina flores. One subsequent record of the species has been made, 

 thatof Bere (1936). 



This seeming rarity and the incompleteness of knowledge that 

 always results when but a single member of a genus is known add 

 interest to the recent discovery of two new species. These occurred 

 together on a specimen of the giant ray Mohula lucasana Beebe and 

 TeeVan, taken off the coast of California, The copepods were re- 

 moved from its surface by Prof. G. E. MacGinitie, who referred them 

 to the United States National Museum for identification. The host, 

 the second of its kind to be drawn to the attention of science, was 

 also of particular interest, and salient facts concerning it have already 

 been noted in a publication by MacGinitie (1947). 



The collections of both Wilson and Bere are in the United States 

 National Museum and thus, fortunately, available for study. A 

 direct comparison of the new species with Pupulina -(lores has made 

 possible a new, nearly more complete diagnosis of the genus ; especially 

 has it indicated the importance of certain characters hitherto not 

 stressed or noted. In addition, it has been found tliat some of the 



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