The copepods associated with the coral Astroides calycularis (Scleractinia, Dendrophyllidae) in the Strait of Gibraltar

Abstract

This paper describes and provides new records of the copepods hosted by the ahermatypic scleractinian Astroides calycularis (Pallas, 1766). This coral species is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea and protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). The coral colonies were collected at both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar. Two new species, the poecilostomatoid Doridicola helmuti and the siphonostomatoid, Asterocheres astroidicola, are described and compared with their congeners. Furthermore, this paper represents the first record of the genus Doridicola associated with a scleractinian coral, the first time that Acontiophorus scutatus is found associated with Cnidaria, and the first report of an Asterocheres species living on scleractinian corals from the European coasts.

Keywords:

• Astroides
• scleractinian
• Copepoda
• Poecilostomatoida
• Siphonostomatoida
• symbionts

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank Isabel Alfonso for assistance in collecting colonies of Astroides calycularis at Tarifa (Spain). Support for this work was provided by The Natural History Museum (London) under the EC‐funded TMR Bioresource Large‐scale Facility Programme.