LEPEOPHTHEIRUS-SPATHA, A NEW SPECIES OF COPEPOD (SIPHONOSTOMATOIDA, CALIGIDAE) PARASITIC ON THE CALIFORNIA HALIBUT FROM SANTA-MONICA BAY, CALIFORNIA

Lepeophtheirus spatha, new species, is described from the external body surfaces of the California halibut Paralichthys californicus (Ayers) collected in Santa Monica Bay, California. The female differs from females of its congeners by the possession of a combination of characters including posterior processes on the genital complex, truncate sternal furcal tines, and a subtriangular leg 5. It appears to be most closely related to L. paralichthydis Yamaguti & Yamasu, 1960 which was collected from the body surfaces of Paralichthys olivaceus (Temminck & Schlegel) from Japan.