DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF PARASITIC ISOPOD (EPICARIDEA: BOPYRIDAE: HEMIARTHRINAE) ASSOCIATED WITH THE SNAPPING SHRIMP SYNALPHEUS APIOCEROS COUTIÈRE, 1909 (DECAPODA: CARIDEA: ALPHEIDAE) FROM NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL

• Grant number: 25/10245-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Felipe Bezerra Ribeiro
• Grantee: Laura Grassi Barco
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project intends to contribute to the expansion of the taxonomic knowledge of the parasitic isopods of the Bopyridae family in Brazil, through the description of a new species belonging to the Hemarthrinae subfamily, associated with the star shrimp Synalpheus apioceros Coutière, 1909 (Decapoda: Caridea: Alpheidae) in the Northeast region of the country. To this end, taxonomic studies will be carried out based on detailed morphological analyses of the specimens collected, making it possible to accurately characterize the new species and its relationships with the host. The data obtained will provide relevant information on the geographical distribution, parasite specificity and morphology of the group, helping to improve the systematics and biogeography of the Bopyridae in Brazil. The results will be published in specialized scientific journals and in scientific events in the area of invertebrate zoology and carcinology, contributing to a better understanding and dissemination of the biodiversity of epicarid isopods and their ecological interactions, as well as fostering future studies on the evolution and ecology of these little-known parasitic organisms. (AU)