Epibiont Cohabitation in Freshwater Shrimp <i>Neocaridina davidi</i> with the Description of Two Species New to Science, <i>Cladogonium kumaki</i> sp. nov. and <i>Monodiscus kumaki</i> sp. nov., and Redescription of <i>Scutariella japonica</i> and <i>Holtodrilus truncatus</i>

oleh: Rafał Maciaszek, Wiesław Świderek, Sebastian Prati, Chih-Yang Huang, Kamil Karaban, Anita Kaliszewicz, Aleksandra Jabłońska

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-05-01

Deskripsi

This contribution presents the occurrence of epibiotic species associated with <i>Neocaridina davidi</i> shrimp collected in the wild, aquaculture ponds, and aquaria. A total of 900 shrimp are imported from Taiwan, three-quarters of which host at least one of the recorded epibionts. Among those epibionts, two species new to science are discovered, <i>Cladogonium kumaki</i> sp. nov. and <i>Monodiscus kumaki</i> sp. nov., while the other two, <i>Holtodrilus truncatus</i> and <i>Scutariella japonica</i>, are redescribed. The largest number of epibionts is found in shrimp collected from aquaculture ponds and the lowest in individuals from aquaria. Epibiont occurrence differs across designated microhabitats. The epibionts may be introduced alongside their host outside their native range, and their presence may affect shrimp breeding rates. Thus, more control over them should be provided. Their spread can be limited by removal from the host during molting or manually, as well as by using interspecies interactions.