Pennella varians Steenstrup & Lutken 1861

Pennella varians Steenstrup & Lutken, 1861

Not valid. Described from both the copepodid stage recovered from the intermediate host (squid) and the adult female collected from dolphinfish, Coryphaena sp. in the Atlantic Ocean. There is nothing in the original report which positively proves that the larval form on squid is the same species as the adults found on Coryphaena. Adult specimens of P. varians from Coryphaena exhibited short holdfast horns (Steenstrup & Lutken 1861). Steenstrup & Lutken (1861) found specimens of P. varians in various stages of metamorphosis on the dolphinfish and competently described and figured each. However, they also found adults of P. filosa on the same host species. Pennella varians from the original description was likely a younger female of P. filosa in the midst of development. In all other structural aspects they strongly resemble P. filosa (also frequently found on this host; Wilson 1917; Garcia et al. 2010) in overall size, cephalothoracic papillae, holdfast horn configuration and trunk/ abdomen structure. The adult form of P. varians has not been reported since the original record. As the adult parasite on the definitive host, a phenotype and synonym of P. filosa.