New records of copepods associated with marine invertebrates from the Strait of Gibraltar and nearby areas

Abstract

In this work, 16 species of commensal or parasitic copepods associated with marine invertebrates from the Strait of Gibraltar are recorded. Eleven species are included into the order Cyclopoida, three into Poecilostomatoida, one into Siphonostomatoida, and another into a family incertae sedis. They have been found mainly associated with Ascidians, but also in Pelecypods, Polychaetes, Opisthobranch molluscs, Ophiuroids and Anthozoans. Among these, 13 are new records for the Iberian peninsula fauna, and three are also new for the African coasts. Moreover five species, Haplostornella rnalacocera Chatton & Harant, 1924, Haplostornella tuberculata Chatton & Harant, 1924, Periproctra falsrarcuata Stock, 1967, Anthessrus arcuatus López-González, Conradi, Naranjo & Garcia-Gomez, 1992 and Botryllophrlus conrcus Conradi, López-González & García-Gómez, 1994, are recorded for the first time since their original descriptions. Furthermore, new hosts and bathymetrical data of most of the species are provided.