Characterization of two species ofLepeophtheirus(Copepoda, Caligidae) from flatfishes. Description ofLepeophtheirus europaensissp. nov

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Abstract
SUMMARY: In the eastern Mediterranean, the copepodLepeophtheirus thompsoniBaird, 1850, has been reported to infest turbot, brill and flounder. By combining several methods, including enzyme electrophoresis, we show that this species is found only in turbot. By contrast, brill and flounder are infested by a species ofLepeophtheirusthat corresponds to no other species reported in the literature. We propose that the species be designated asL. europaensisand we describe the characteristics of the gravid female. This study was extended to the Atlantic populations of flatfishes and includes an investigation ofL. pectoralis(Muller, 1776), which infects flounder in the North Sea; we also confirmed the presence ofL. thompsoni(Baird, 1850) over the whole geographic range of turbot. Lastly, we discuss the specificity and distribution of these species along the European coasts.