PROC. BIOL. SOC. WASH. 106(1), 1993, pp. 131-136 ENTEROCOLA AFRICANUS, A NEW SPECIES (COPEPODA: ASCIDICOLIDAE) ASSOCIATED WITH A COMPOUND ASCIDIAN SYNOICUM SPECIES FROM NORTH AFRICA (STRAIT OF GIBRALTAR) Pablo J. Lopez-Gonzalez, Mercedes Conradi, and J. Carlos Garcia-Gomez Abstract. —The genus Enterocola van Beneden, 1860 is principally recorded from European waters. In this paper Enterocola africanus, new species, from the Strait of Gibraltar (North African side) is described from the compound ascidian Synoicum sp. Enterocola fulgens, Enterocola clavelinae, Enterocola hessei, Enterocola precaria and Enterocola ianthina are morphologically similar to the new species. All are discussed and compared with Enterocola africanus. Resumen. —1.3. mayor parte de las especies descritas dentro del genero En-terocola van Beneden, 1860 proceden de las costas Europeas. Se describe una nueva especie, Enterocola africanus del Estrecho de Gibraltar (vertiente Norte Africana). Enterocola fulgens, Enterocola clavelinae, Enterocola hessei, Enter-ocola precaria y Enterocola ianthina son morfologicamente proximas a la nueva ijp especie. Todas ellas son comparadas y discutidas con Enterocola africanus. Recently the Laboratorio de Biologia Ma-rina of the University of Sevilla and Cadiz (Spain) initiated a program to study the co-pepods associated with marine inverte-brates from the coasts of the Strait of Gib-raltar and nearby areas. So far, three marine biological expeditions "Bahia 90" and "Ba-hia 91" in Algeciras Bay (Southern Iberian Peninsula) and "Ceuta 91" in Ceuta (North Africa) were carried out within a more com-prehensive program of marine benthos. The studies were centered mainly on the cope-pod fauna associated with molluscs, ascid-ians, anthozoans, and echinoderms. The first results have already been reported (Lopez-Gonzalez et al. 1992). Four female parasitic copepods belonging to the genus Enterocola were found in the colonies of the compound ascidian, Synoi-cum sp. collected during the "Ceuta 91" Expedition. They were later determined to be new to science. Studies of the genus Enterocola have been concentrated in European waters with lim-ited references to the North American coast and the Philippine Islands (Illg & Dudley 1980). Recently, Ooishi (1987) recorded an undetermined species of this genus from Okinawa. Shellenberg (1922) reported Bo-tryllophilus sp. associated to Polycitor ren-ieri from Plattenberg Bucht (South Africa), and not Enterocola sp. as Illg & Dudley (1980) referred to in their monograph on the Ascidicolidae. In this work, Enterocola africanus from the North African coast (Ceuta) is de-scribed. It represents the only member of its genus described from this continent. Al-though it is not the only species reported, Barnard (1955) quotes Enterocola fulgens from South Africa. Material and Methods The compound ascidians were collected on stones from the infralittoral zone (6-12 m deep). They were maintained in separate glass bottles. The copepods were removed
Enterocola africanus, a new species (Copepoda: Ascidicolidae) associated with a compound ascidian Synoicum species from North Africa (strait of Gibraltar)
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