Caligus bocki Heegaard 1943

Caligus bocki Heegaard, 1943

Differential diagnosis: Female genital complex and abdomen combined just slightly shorter than cephalothorax; body length 2.6–2.8 mm. Female genital complex produced into distinct postero-lateral lobes; abdomen apparently 2-segmented, first segment very much shorter than second. Post-antennal process not strongly recurved in female. Sternal furca with tines apparently fused to form median tapering spine. Female maxilliped with small tooth-like process on myxal margin. Leg 4 with long distal spines, terminal spine slightly longer than other 2 distal margin spines. Male unknown.

Material examined: none

Distribution: Gilbert Islands.

Hosts: Carcharhinidae: Carcharhinus falciformis (Müller & Henle, 1839) (as Eulamia menisorrah

(Müller & Henle)).

Remarks: The original description is of extremely poor quality and is inconsistent: the body length of the single holotype female is given as 2.6 mm and also as 2.8 mm by Heegaard (1943) in different parts of the text. Although described as having a 1-segmented abdomen, we consider the abdomen 2-segmented with the short base illustrated as carrying the large free segment being interpreted here as a short first free abdominal segment. As well as being the only species in the group, other than C. productus itself, to possess posterolateral lobes on the genital complex, this species shares a second similarity, namely the tiny process on the medial margin of the female maxilliped. This at least raises the possibility that the type specimen could be an aberrant individual of C. productus, found on an unusual host, the shark Carcharhinus falciformis. The form of the sternal furca, with its fused tines, is a unique apomorphy for this species within the group.