A checklist of the parasitic copepods of Taiwanese aquatic animals (1930–2024), with a note on Ju-shey Ho’s contribution to clarifying the parasitic copepod fauna of Taiwan

Based on the literature published between 1930 and 2024, this checklist assembles information on the parasitic copepods of fishes and other aquatic animals of Taiwan. During this 95-year period, a total of 233 valid species of parasitic copepods were reported, and they comprise 118 and 115 species in the orders Cyclopoida and Siphonostomatoida, respectively. The cyclopoid copepods span 14 families, consisting of the Anchimolgidae (13 spp.), Anthessiidae (1 sp.), Bomolochidae (26 spp.), Chondracanthidae (10 spp.), Clausiidae (1 sp.), Ergasilidae (3 spp.), Iveidae (1 sp.), Lernaeidae (2 spp.), Macrochironidae (1 sp.), Myicolidae (3 spp.), Rhynchomolgidae (1 sp.), Strepidae (1 sp.), Taeniacanthidae (23 spp.) and Xarifiidae (32 spp.). The siphonostomatoid copepods belong to 10 families, which are the Asterocheridae (2 spp.), Caligidae (78 spp.), Coralliomyzontidae (1 sp.), Dissonidae (2 spp.), Hatschekiidae (1 sp.), Lernaeopodidae (3 spp.), Lernanthropidae (18 spp.), Nicothoidae (1 sp.), Pandaridae (8 spp.) and Pennellidae (1 sp.). The reported copepods comprise both 175 and 58 species that are parasites of fishes and invertebrates, respectively. This checklist also includes records of the parasitic copepods not identified at the species level. Since the early 1960’s to date, Dr. Ju-shey Ho has greatly contributed to clarifying the fauna of the parasitic copepods of Taiwanese aquatic animals. Along with his Taiwanese coworkers, he reported 184 species (79% of the parasitic copepods known from Taiwan) and established one new family, three new genera, and 55 new species based on specimens from Taiwan. He also contributed to many excellent works of Taiwanese caligid copepods.