First record of the genus Gigantione (Epicaridea: Bopyridae: Pseudioninae) from Chinese waters, with description of three new species

The parasitic isopod genus Gigantione is first recorded from China. Four species are reported infesting xanthid and goneplacid crabs, three are new to science, and one is a new record from China. Gigantione ishigakiensis Shiino, 1941, infesting Liagore rubromaculata (De Haan); G. hainanensis sp. nov., infesting Atergatis floridus (L.) and Atergatis sp., which differs from other recorded species in the shape of its barbula, first oostegite and subrectangular maxilliped; G. rhombos sp. nov., infesting Heteroplax dentata Stimpson, Eucrate alcocki Serene and Eucrate sp., its female distinguished from other species of Gigantione by having a prominent rhombic projection on the barbula; and G. tau sp. nov., infesting Carcinoplax longimanus (De Haan), the female of which differs from other species mainly by its T-shaped pigmentation on the head. Four brachyuran crabs are first reported as hosts of bopyrids. A list of all brachyuran species so far recorded as bopyrid hosts in China is provided.

First record of marine crab, Eucrate alcocki SerSne, in SerSne and Lohavanijaya, 1973 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Euryplacidae) from India

This paper reports the occurrence of a marine brachyuran crab species Eucrate alcocki SerSne, in SerSne et al., 1973, of the family Euryplacidae Stimpson, 1871, for first time from India, based on a male specimen from Parangipettai fish landing centre in Bay of Bengal, Southeast Coast of India. Although morphologically corresponding with what is currently defined as E. alcocki, the color pattern of the carapace of the present specimen is rather different from that of the Chinese material-only the anterior fifth of the carapace is marked with scattered red spots, the rest of the surface is yellowish, with four unusually shaped red blotches which almost look like Sanskrit characters.

First record of Paraonella platybranchia (Hartman, 1961) (Polychaeta: Paraonidae) from the Yellow Sea

This paper reports for the first time a species of polychaetous family Paraonidae, Paraonella platybranchia (Hartman, 1961), a rare species found previously only in the coast near the boundary between the United States and Mexico, and it was recently discovered in the samples collected in 1982 from Chinese side of the Yellow Sea. This is the first record of the species in China as well as in the Northwest Pacific.

First record of the family Spengeliidae (Hemichordata : Enteropneusta) from Chinese waters, with description of a new species

Six species belonging to two families of Hemichordata have previously been recorded in Chinese waters. This paper records the discovery and description of a new species of the genus Glandiceps found in Jiaozhou Bay, Qingdao, Shandong Province, named Glandiceps qingdaoensis. The new species has a long proboscis with dorsal and ventral grooves, a stomochord with a long vermiform process, a proboscis cavity with a dorsal median, right and left glomeruli, right and left glomeruli very large and encircling the stomochord, a proboscis skeleton in the cavity extends into the median posterior of the collar, a well-developed dorsal ventral muscular septum in the proboscis cavity dividing the cavity completely into two separate parts. The collar cord is without giant nerve roots. The trunk with four distinct regions that can be recognized externally: branchial-genital region, genital region, hepatic region, and intestinal region. The dorsal pharynx is large and the gill pores are small. The tongue bars are encircled by vesicles, and the first gonad commences at the level of the second or third gill slit.

A new species and two new record species of genus Allokepon Markham, 1982 (Isopoda : Epicaridea : Bopyridae) from China

Descriptions of a new species and two new records of species of the genus Allokepon Markham, 1982 from Chinese waters are presented. The host species were portunid crabs. Allokepon hendersoni (Giard & Bonnier 1887) was found infesting Charybdis bimaculata (Miers), A. monodi (Bourdon, 1967) infesting Portunus pelagicus (L), Portunus trituberculatus ( Miers), and Thalamita sp. and A. longicauda n. sp. infesting Portunus pulchricristatus (Gorden). Three of the host species were recorded for the first time harboring isopod parasites, and the male of A. monodi is presented. Allokepon longicauda n. sp. is distinguished from the other four species found in China by the long slender uropods of females.

FIRST RECORD OF THE GEBIIDEAN GENUS AXIANASSA SCHMITT, 1924 (CRUSTACEA: DECAPODA: GEBIIDEA: AXIANASSIDAE) IN THE WEST PACIFIC, WITH DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES FROM THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

A new species, Axianassa sinica, from the Beibu Gulf (Gulf of Tonkin), northern South China Sea, is described and illustrated. The new species is readily distinguished from A. australis Rodrigues & Shimizu, 1992, by its acute rostrum, merus of pereopod 1 with a tooth distally on lower margin and an elongated telson.