Joryma sawayah Bowman & Tareen 1983

Joryma sawayah

MATERIAL.—From Ilisha indica (Swainson), gills: South of Faylaka, 29 Jul 1976, USNM 191060, ovigerous 21.5, non-ovigerous 21.0, 12.5 (paratypes). Doha, 29 Jul 1976, USNM 191058, ovigerous 20.8 (holotype), USNM 191059, non-ovigerous 17.7 (paratype); North of platform, 29 Jul 1976, USNM, 191061, ovigerous 22.3, 13.3 (paratypes), USNM 191057, ovigerous 22.3, 13.4 (paratypes). “Gord of Oha,” WL, 22 Jan 1978, ovigerous 21.8. From Therapon puta (Cuvier and Valenciennes): WL, ovigerous 19.0.

ETYMOLOGY.—“Sawayah” is the local name and the host fish, Ilisha indica.

DESCRIPTION.—Body slightly asymmetrical, curving slightly to one side, flattened dorsoventrally. Head pyriform, posterior part covered by pereonite 1, anteriorly not reflexed but produced into short shelf in front of antenna 1. Eyes moderately well developed, but usually covered by pereonite 1 and not visible dorsally. Pereonite 1 produced on each side into inflated bilobed process reaching well beyond anterior margin of head. Coxa 2 much enlarged and inflated, produced anteriorly into lobe underlying process of pereonite 1. Coxa 3 inflated, shorter than lateral margin of pereonite 3. Coxae 4–7 occupying anterior halves of pereonite margins; anterior halves of pereonites 4–7 overlapped laterally by preceding pereonites, giving impression that coxa belongs to pereonite anterior to its own. Posterolateral parts of pereonites somewhat inflated. Anterior 1, 2, or 3 pleonites overlapped laterally by pereonite 7. Pleonites as wide as pereon, all subequal in width and length, rather short, lateral parts curving posteriorly. Telson a little wider than long, subtriangular, with distinct caudomedial lobe.


Antennae 1 well separated at base, rather short, reaching midlength of eye, 8-segmented. Antenna 2 slightly longer and distinctly thicker than antenna 1, 8-segmented.

Mandible with very thick palps forming lateral boundaries to other mouthparts, no segmentation evident in palps. Maxilla 1 with 4 strong apical spines. Maxilla 2 inner and outer lobes with minute scales, each with 2 spines. Maxilliped with 7 spines on apical segment.

Pereopods rather short, bases not expanded. Pereopods 1–3 subequal; pereopods 4–7 subequal, longer than pereopods 1–3.

Peduncles of pleopods without retinacula, expanded laterally into rounded lobes. Exopods of pleopods 3–5 with proximolateral triangular lobes. Appendix masculina of pleopod 2 shorter than endopod, nearly straight, tapering gradually to narrowly rounded apex.

Uropods much shorter than telson; rami longer than peduncle, pyriform, exopod longer than endopod.

COMPARISONS.—The most obvious differences between J. sawayah and the other species assigned to Joryma are given in Table 2.

Mothocya Costa, 1851

Mothocya species

MATERIAL.—From gill chamber of Strongylura strongylura (van Hasselt): SG, 6 Oct 1981, immature 18.5 mm, 13.7 mm.

Monod (1971) showed convincingly that the supposed differences between Mothocya Costa, 1851, and Irona Schioedte and Meinert, 1884, cannot be substantiated. Hence we consider Irona a junior synonym of Mothocya.

The difficulty in assigning specimens of Mothocya to a species has been pointed out by Monod (1971, 1976). Clear-cut distinctions among the 10 nominal species are rare, and the limits of variability within the species are poorly known. Changes in body proportion associated with sexual maturation further complicate the picture. Since neither Kuwait specimen is fully differentiated, identification to species with confidence is not possible now. When revisionary studies improve our knowledge of the taxonomy of Mothocya, we hope the illustrations given herein (Figure 19) will aid in specific identification of the Kuwait specimens.

Cymothoa Fabricius, 1793