New records of parasitic copepod (Crustacea, Siphonostomatoida, Pennellidae) found on the body surface of two cetacean species in China

By

Zeng, Qianhui
Lin, Yejie

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2023-02-20

Original Publication

Biodiversity data journal

Volume

11

Pages

1--11

Subjects

cetacean external parasites , new distribution , Pennella , taxonomy

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia Pensoft Publishers [2013]-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.11.e98914
eLocator: e98914

 

Abstract

Pennella balaenoptera Koren &amp; Danielssen, 1877 (Crustacea, Siphonostomatoida, Pennellidae) is so far known as the largest copepod species and has only been found as a parasite on marine mammals. Previous studies on parasitic copepods in China only focused on those found on economic fishes, no records of P. balaenoptera having ever been reported before.<br> A Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera edeni Anderson, 1879) and a pygmy sperm whale [Kogia breviceps (Blainville, 1838)] were respectively stranded on the eastern and southern coast of China in 2021 and 2022. A total of eight parasitic copepods found on their body surface were sampled and examined. The parasites were identified as Pennella balaenoptera, based on morphological characteristics and measurements. Descriptions and photomicrographs of this newly-recorded species from China are given in the present study.