Orthione furcata ( Richardson, 1904 )

Orthione furcata ( Richardson, 1904) View in CoL

Fig. 5 A, B View FIGURE5

Pseudione furcata Richardson, 1904: 79 View in CoL , figs. 69, 70 (host unknown; type locality: eastern shore of Virginia, U.S.A.).— Richardson, 1905: 529 –530, figs. 571–573 (repeat of data from Richardson, 1904).— Fowler, 1912: 523 (species entry).— Hay, 1917: 573 (mention).— Van Name, 1920: 72 (mention).—Nierstrasz & Brender à Brandis, 1923: 72 (list).— Menzies & Frankenberg, 1966: 9 (list).— Schultz, 1969: 327, fig. 524 (list; placement in key to bopyrids).— Gosner, 1971: 476 (list).— Wass, 1972: 147 (list).— Markham, 1977: 816 (mention).

Pseudione upogebiae View in CoL — Pearse, 1947: 326 (in part, Beaufort, North Carolina, U.S.A., infesting Upogebia affinis (Say, 1818)) View in CoL (not Progebiophilus upogebiae (Hay, 1917)) View in CoL .

Orthione furcata View in CoL — Markham, 1988: 14 –17, figs. 4–6 (Massachusetts, Virginia, and Cape Cod, infesting U. affinis View in CoL ).— Markham, 2001: 198, 200 (list).— Markham, 2004: 186 (mention).— Heard et al., 2007: 26 (mention).

not Pseudoione [sic] furcata View in CoL — Kaestner, 1970: 463 (mention occurrence on “Gulf coast” [Gulf of Mexico], infesting unknown host) (= Progebiophilus upogebiae (Hay, 1917)) View in CoL .

Material examined. United States: Ovigerous female (11.8 mm), ex branchial chamber of “ Panopeus herbstii ” H. Milne Edwards, 1834 [incorrect host identification; see below], Beaufort, North Carolina, coll. A. S. Pearse, 22 Aug 1946 (USNM 1424906 ex USNM 84049; also present in vial was a mature male (4.5 mm) and a single first oostegite of Progebiophilus upogebiae ; both of the latter retain the USNM 84049 catalogue number); mature male (9.4 mm), ex branchial chamber of Upogebia affinis (size and sex unknown), Beaufort, North Carolina, coll. A. S. Pearse, 6 Aug 1946 (USNM 84052).

Distribution. Massachusetts to North Carolina, U.S. A.

Hosts. Upogebia affinis (Say, 1818) .

Remarks. This species was confounded with Progebiophilus upogebiae ( Hay, 1917) by Pearse (1947) as evidenced by the female and male examined here that were included in separate USNM lots, each labeled as being Pseudione upogebiae . One of these lots (USNM 84049) contained a female Orthione furcata ( Fig. 5 A View FIGURE5 ), a male P. upogebiae , and the first oostegite of a P. upogebiae , whereas the other (USNM 84052) contained only a male O. furcata ( Fig. 5B View FIGURE5 ). Markham (1988) also noted that four of the six specimens originally in USNM 84051, labeled as P. upogebiae , were likewise actually O. furcata . The male specimen (USNM 84052) was misidentified on the label as “ Pseudodione [sic] upogebia [sic]”. The labeling and co-mingling of two species from different genera, both otherwise only known from upogebiid hosts, in a single lot supports our conclusion that Panopeus herbstii is an erroneous host identification for P. upogebiae (see additional Remarks under that species).

Markham (1988) included Kaestner’s (1970) record of “ Pseudoione ” [sic] furcata from the Gulf of Mexico in his synonymy list for O. furcata , essentially without comment as to its validity, although he correctly noted that Kaestner (1970) gave no indication as to the source of his data. Markham (1988) logically interpreted Kaestner’s (1970) statement of the species’ occurrence on the “Gulf coast” to mean the Gulf of Mexico, but it is unusual that Kaestner, being a German researcher, would use a colloquial term such as “Gulf coast.” In fact, no mention of Pseudione furcata appears in the original edition of this book ( Kaestner 1967). This information was added by one of the reviewers who provided “numerous suggestions and changes” when Kaestner (1967) was translated into English by H. W. and L. R. Levi ( Kaestner 1970: vi–vii). Although three people (R. R. Hessler, R. J. Menzies, and S. M. Shiino) are thanked in Kaestner (1970) for contributing to the isopod section, none are identified as contributing text but the most likely source of this record of O. furcata is Menzies, then at Florida State University, which is in western Florida and very near to the “Gulf coast.” However, this record is almost certainly erroneous, as no other published records of O. furcata from south of North Carolina are known. The “Gulf coast” record is likely a misidentification of Progebiophilus upogebiae , a species known to occur in the northern Gulf of Mexico (see Material Examined under that species).