Explore the vast range of titles available.

Caridean shrimp are critical components of sea-grass communities and occasionally harbor parasitic bopyrid isopods, which can negatively impact their hosts. However, the ecological factors that drive infection rates of parasitic bopyrid isopods in host carideans are poorly known. We examined 43,875 carideans belonging to 6 families and 11 genera from 19 shallow-water localities throughout south Florida. Of these, only 114 shrimp (belonging to 5 genera) were found to be infested with bopyrids (an additional 251 had deformed carapaces consistent with recent infestation). We identified 13 bopyrid species (Bopyrina abbreviata, Bopyrinella thorii, Eophrixus subcaudalis, Loki circumsaltanus, Metaphrixus carolii, Ovobopyrus alphezemiotes, Parabopyrella lata, Parabopyrella richardsonae, Parabopyriscus stellatus, Capitetragonia alphei, Probopyrus pandalicola, Schizobopyrina urocaridis, and an unidentified Diplophryxus sp.). Bopyrid infection rates were very low throughout the study area, with mean prevalence of 0.26% (range 0.04–1.48%). Furthermore, each isopod species was only ever recovered from a single host genus, suggesting a high degree of genus-level specificity. At the community level, multivariate analyses (RELATE and BVSTEP) indicated that bopyrid community composition was correlated with host community structure, latitude, and temperature, as well as the relative coverage of the sea grasses Thalassia sp. and Syringodium sp. and the alga Penicillus sp. Only 4 parasite taxa were sufficiently abundant to warrant further analysis at the individual taxon level: B. abbreviata, B. thorii, Diplophryxus sp., and P. pandalicola; stepwise regression indicated that bopyrid infection rates were primarily driven by the abundance of their specific hosts, and secondarily by environmental variables such as temperature and depth, as well as algal and sea-grass community composition.

A new species of DiplophryxusRichardson, 1904 is described from shallow waters of Chile infesting Alpheus inca Wicksten & Méndez G., 1981. This is the ninth species described in the genus. Diplophryxus richardsonaeChopra, 1930 from India does not belong in the genus and a new genus, Micropodiphryxus, is erected for it. Diplophryxus is now known to have a circumglobal distribution in temperate and tropical latitudes infesting host shrimp in Alpheidae, Palaemonidae, and Gnathophyllidae, whereas the new genus is known only from the Andaman Islands and Kerala, India, from hosts in Crangonidae. A key to species of both genera is provided along with a summary of all records from the literature.

A new species of Diplophryxus Richardson, 1904 is described from shallow waters of Chile infesting Alpheus inca Wicksten & Méndez G., 1981. This is the ninth species described in the genus. Diplophryxus richardsonae Chopra, 1930 from India does not belong in the genus and a new genus, Micropodiphryxus, is erected for it. Diplophryxus is now known to have a circumglobal distribution in temperate and tropical latitudes infesting host shrimp in Alpheidae, Palaemonidae, and Gnathophyllidae, whereas the new genus is known only from the Andaman Islands and Kerala, India, from hosts in Crangonidae. A key to species of both genera is provided along with a summary of all records from the literature. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]