Kronborgia caridicolasp. nov., an endoparasitic turbellarian from North Atlantic shrimps

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A neorhabdocoel turbellarian, Kronborgia caridicola sp. nov., found parasitizing the shrimps Eualus machilenta (Krøyer), Lebbeus polaris (Sabine), and Paciphaea tarda Krøyer is described from material collected mainly in Greenland waters. The new species is dioecious and closely related to Kronborgia amphipodicola Christensen & Kanneworff, but no males were found. The female is very large, the length of two measurable specimens being 21 and 39 cm. It lies in tight windings in the body cavity of the host and occupies all the available space when approaching the mature stage. Having left its host to spawn the female constructs a 46–71 ern long tubiform, dextrally coiled cocoon, attaching one end of it in the bottom substrate. In this cocoon it deposits more than half a million capsules, each containing two egg cells and an unknown number of yolk cells. When ready to hatch the larva measures about 260 µ in length.