Taxonomía, distribución y notas sobre cuatro especies de ectoparásitos de Cetacea (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Cyamidae)

Abstract

Collections of whale-lice (Amphipoda: Cyamidae) from the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia" and recent samples taken in an Argentinean beach were revised. Complete redescriptions and illustrations of Cyamus (Cyamus) erraticus Roussel de Vauzème, 1834, C. (C.) gracilis Roussel de Vauzème, 1834, C. (C.) ovalis Roussel de Vauzème, 1834 and C. (Paracyamus) boopis Lütken, 1870 provided new morphological data and some differences when these taxa were compared with the same species belonging to the northern hemisphere. The mouthparts and ventral adhesion spines are the most remarkable features that characterize the studied taxa. They are primarily distinguished from each other by the general aspect of the body, and the number and position of the ventral adhesion spines. The world distributional range of each species is shown, extending the geographical distribution of C. (C.) gracilis and C. (C.) ovalis to South America (Argentina) for the first time. In addition, some references to the host specificity and obligated parasitism are provided.