Mothocya collettei Bruce, 1986

Rajendra, S., Nashad, M., Nigam, Naveen Kumar, Raghunathan, C. & Mohamed Hatha, A. A., 2025, New distributional records of the isopod parasite, Mothocya (Isopoda: Cymothoidae), from Andaman Islands, India, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 125 (1), pp. 33-39 : 35

1. Mothocya collettei Bruce, 1986 ( Fig. 3 a,b )

Material examined: Two ovigerous females (TL 22-23.16 mm; W 1.5-11 mm), ( ZSI / ANRC /M/25420) collected from two specimens of Tylosurus choram (Rüppell, 1837) Junglighat (11.65922N; 92.72515E), Port Blair , South Andaman, 18 th April 2019 .

Description: Body faintly twisted to the right side with weakly convex dorsum. Eyes moderately large and 0.32-

0.4 times the width of the cephalon. Coxal plates are prominent and broad; coxae of pereonites 6 and 7 are

0.87-1.0 times longer than their width; coxae of pereonite 7 reach to pleonite 3. Pleon is wide, with sub-parallel sides; 1.1-1.8 times the width of fifth pereonite; pleonite 1 is completely obscured by pereonite 7, pereonite 7, and pleonite 5 lateral borders are free on the right. Pleotelson is long and wide, widest in the middle, with a nearly rounded posterior margin. Maxilla has two recurved spines on its lateral and medial lobes, while maxilliped article 3 has four recurved spines. Pereopods 1 to 7 are nearly the same size; Pereopod 7’s merus, carpus, and ischium, are somewhat longer than those the pereopod

1. Lateral lobes of pleopods 2 to 5 prominent. Uropods are of different sizes, one with distinctly shorter rami and with short and slender endopods.

Figures

Fig. 3. (a,b) Mothocya collettei (Bruce, 1986) recovered from Tylosurus choram (Rüppell, 1837); (c,d) Mothocya plagulophora (Haller, 1880) recovered from Fistularia commersonii Rüppell, 1838; (e,f) Mothocya plagulophora (Haller, 1880) recovered from Hemiramphus far (Forsskål, 1775) (Scale 5mm)