Parasites of the Vermillion Snapper, Rhomboplites aurorubens (Cuvier), From the Western Atlantic Ocean

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2017

Department

Coastal Sciences, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory

School

Ocean Science and Engineering

Abstract

Eighty-three Vermilion snappers (Rhomboplites aurorubens) from the northern Gulf of Mexico and 1 from off Puerto Rico, U.S.A., were examined for parasites. The survey resulted in recovery of 2 species of Monogenea: Euryhaliotrema tubocirrus and Microcotyloides incisa; 6 species of Digenea: Parahemiurus merus, Lecithochirium floridense, Hirudinella sp., Aponurus laguncula, Prosogonotrema bilabiatum, Preptetos trulla; 3 species of Nematoda: Hysterothylacium reliquens, Cucullanus pargi, unidentified Cucullanidae; and 3 species of Copepoda: 1 species in Chondracanthidae, 1 species in Caligidae, and Hatschekia sp. Stomach parasites dominated the assemblage with Pro. bilabiatum exhibiting the greatest prevalence (63.9%) and A. laguncula exhibiting the greatest mean intensity (4.6 parasites/infected host ± 6.4 SD) among parasites. Preptetos trulla and Hy. reliquens occurred at both locations and represented the only parasites found in the fish from Puerto Rico, U.S.A. Rhomboplites aurorubens represents a new host record for at least 8 of the parasites (Pa. merus, L. floridense, Hirudinella sp., Hy. reliquens). Ribosomal DNA sequences from 7 of the helminth species were generated and made available in the National Institutes of Health genetic sequence database (GenBank).

Publication Title

Comparative Parasitology

Volume

84

Issue

1

First Page

1

Last Page

14

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