Biogeography and phylogeny of Dermoergasilus Ho & Do, 1982 (Copepoda: Ergasilidae), with descriptions of three new species

Three new species of Dermoergasilus are described from six species of grey mullet hosts. Dermoergasilus longiabdominalis n. sp. was found on Valamugil engeli (Bleeker) from the Philippines and Madagascar and on V. cunnesius (Valenciennes) from the Philippines and Mangalore, India. D. semiamplectens n. sp. occurred on Sicamugil hamiltoni (Day) from the Sittang River, Burma, on Liza subviridis (Valenciennes) and L. parsia (Hamilton Buchanan) from Calcutta, India, and on V. cunnesius (Valenciennes) from China. D. curtus n. sp. parasitised Rhinomugil squamipinnis (Swainson) from Alahabad, India. A key to the ten currently accepted species of Dermoergasilus is given. The biogeographical distribution of Dermoergasilus species is analysed and levels of host-specificity are surveyed within the genus. The phylogenetic relationships between the species of Dermoergasilus are also analysed.     

A new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dermoergasilus</Emphasis> Ho &; Do, 1982 (Copepoda: Ergasilidae) from freshwater fishes in the south-west of Western Australia

A new species of Dermoergasilus Ho & Do, 1982 is described from freshwater fish hosts in the south west of Western Australia. D. occidentalis n. sp. differs from previously described species in the genus principally by the armature of the legs. The new species was found on the gills of the freshwater cobbler Tandanus bostocki Whitely and western minnow Galaxias occidentalis Ogilby in two different river systems.     

Two new species of Ergasilidae (Copepoda: Poecilostomatoida) parasitic on Mugil cephalus L. from southern Africa

Two new species of Ergasilidae are described from southern Africa; a representative of the genus Dermoergasilus Ho et Do, 1982 on the gill rackers and one of Ergasilus von Nordmann, 1932 on the gill filaments of the striped mullet, Mugil cephalus L.The striped mullet, Mugil cephalus Linnaeus, has a wide geographical distribution and is parasitized by more than 40 different species of parasitic copepods (Ho & Do, 1982). It acts as host for seven species of Ergasilidae, i.e. Diergasilus kasahari Do, 1981, Dermoergasilus amplectens (Dogiel et Akhmerov, 1952), Ergasilus seiboldi von Nordmann, 1832, Nipergasilus bora (Yamaguti, 1939) and Ergasilus lizae Kroyer, 1963, Ergasilus mugilis Vogt, 1879 and Ergasilus cyanopictus Carvalho, 1962.Ergasilids have been reported from mullets on the African continent, i.e. E. lizae from Tunisia (Raibaut, Ben-Hassine & Prunes, 1975) and Ghana (Paperna, 1969). The present study has shown that two new species of Ergasilidae occur on the southern periphery of the continent, which are described below.Type specimens were deposited in the collection of the Dept. of Zoology, Rand Afrikaans University.     

Description of a new species of Anuretes (Copepoda: Caligidae) from Kerala

A new species ofAnuretes collected from the gills ofDiagramma crassispinum Day at Cape Comorin, India, is described in detail. The carapace of the three females obtained was folded ventrally likeHermilius on the gill filaments.     

Two species of Ergasilidae (Copepoda: Poecilostomatoida) parasitic on the gills of Mugil cephalus Linnaeus (Pisces: Teleostei), with proposition of a new genus Dermoergasilus

A new genus of Ergasilidae (Dermoergasilus) is proposed to accommodate Ergasilus amplectens Dogiel et Akhmerov, 1952; E. coleus Cressey, 1970; and E. semicoleus Cressey, 1970. Dermoergasilus amplectens (Dogiel et Akhmerov, 1952) and Nipergasilus bora (Yamaguti, 1939) are redescribed based on the specimens recovered from the gills of Mugil cephalus L. collected in Kojima Bay, Okayama Prefecture, Japan.     

Description of a new Nipergasilus species (Family: Ergasilidae) from the gills of grey mullet

A new Nipergasilus species is described from the gills of the grey mullet Valamugil cunnesius from several localities in India and Pakistan. The new species is closely related to Nipergasilus bora (Yamaguti, 1939) which is also recorded here on three species of grey mullet. The genus Nipergasilus is redefined in order to accommodate the second species.     

A new species of Taeniastrotos Cressey (Copepoda: Poecilostomatoida) from southern Brazil

A new species of Taeniastrotos is described from an ariid host, Cathrops spixii, caught in southern Brazil. It is the first member of the genus to be recorded from the Atlantic Ocean and can be distinguished from its four known congeners by the setation of the terminal endopodal segment of the fourth leg.     

Description of a new species of Aethycteron Suriano & Beverley-Burton, 1982 (Monogenea: Ancyrocephalidae) on the gills of the rare striated darter,Etheostoma striatulum Page & Braasch (Perciformes: Percidae), from the Duck River,Tennessee, USA

Systematic Parasitology - The striated darter (Etheostoma striatulum Page &amp; Braasch) is a rare fish species restricted to the Duck River system in Maury County, Tennessee, USA. In this...     

New species of Acanthochondria (Copepoda: Chondracanthidae) infecting the longtail southern cod, Patagonotothen ramsayi (Perciformes: Nototheniidae), from Patagonian waters, Argentina

Acanthochondria lilianae n. sp. (Copepoda: Chondracanthidae) is described and illustrated based on specimens of both sexes collected from inner surface of the operculum of the longtail southern cod, Patagonotothen ramsayi (Regan) (Perciformes: Nototheniidae), from the Patagonian Shelf, Argentina (42-48°S, 60-63°W). Acanthochondria lilianae n. sp. is characterized by the combination of a Type B-III antennule and Type A leg 2, in addition to both the cephalosome and the trunk being wider than long. The new species most closely resembles Acanthochondria incisa Shiino, 1955, Acanthochondria ophidii (Kr?yer, 1863), Acanthochondria priacanthi Shiino, 1964, and Acanthochondria tasmaniae Heegaard, 1962, but differs from these species in the general measurements and proportions of the body, shape and size of head, shape and size of genitoabdomen, and fine details of appendages such as the armature of antennule, ornamentation of both pairs of legs, number of teeth on mandible and maxilla, and ornamentation on maxilliped. This is the first Acanthochondria species recorded from a nototheniid and the second southernmost record of a species of this genus in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean.     

New species and new records of Ergasilus Nordmann (Copepoda: Ergasilidae) from the gills of grey mullet (Mugilidae)

Four new Ergasilus species are described from five host species of grey mullet, family Mugilidae, held in the fish collections of The Natural History Museum, London. Ergasilus extensus n. sp. was found on Myxus petardi (Castelnau) from Australia, E. sittangenesis n. sp. on Sicamugil hamiltoni (Day) from Burma, E. piriformis n. sp. on Sicamugil cascasia (Hamilton Buchanan) from India, and E. ecuadorensis n. sp. on Mugil curema Valenciennes and M. hospes Jordan & Culver from Ecuador. New records of E. cyanopictus Caravalho, E. magnicornis Yin, E. orientalis Yamaguti and E. rostralis Ho, Jayarajian & Radhakrishnan on grey mullet are also given.     

Description of a new Acaronia species (Teleostei, Cichlidae) from the Rio Orinoco and Rio Negro drainages

Acaronia vultuosa sp.n. occurs in the Rio Orinoco and upper Rio Negro drainages. In the Rio Negro it overlaps slightly the range of its only congener, A. nassa (Heckel), from which it can be distinguished by (1) the lack of microbranchiospines on the first gill arch, (2) thc separate instead of coalesced anterior gill rakers on the first gill arch, and (3) the colour pattern, which includes a much larger midlateral blotch and a different pattern of dark markings on the head.     

Two new species of Lepeophtheirus (Copepoda: Caligidae) parasitic on fishes from southern California waters.

Two new species of Lepeophtheirus are described and illustrated based on a collection from the Orange County sewer outfall, California. They are: L. remiopsis sp.nov. from the branchial cavities and external body surfaces of Parophrys vetulus Girard, Hippoglossina stomata Eigenmann & Eigenmann, Pleuronichthys verticalis (Jordan & Gilbert), Chitonotus pugetensis (Steindachner), and Porichthys notatus (Girard); and L. rotundipes sp.nov. from the external body surfaces and occasionally the gill cavities of Scorpaena guttata (Girard) and Citharichthys stigmaeus Jordan & Gilbert.     

New species of Ergasilus von Nordmann, 1832 (Copepoda: Ergasilidae) from the gills of freshwater fishes in Patagonia,Argentina

Systematic Parasitology - A new parasitic copepod, Ergasilus yandemontei n. sp., is described based on 10 adult females collected from the gills of the atherinid silverside Odontesthes hatcheri...     

Ergasilus thatcheri n. sp. (Copepoda, Poecilostomatoida, Ergasilidae) from the gills of Rhamdia quelen (Teleostei, Siluriformes, Pimelodidae) from southern Brazil

The female of Ergasilus thatcheri n. sp. (Copepoda, Poecilostomatoida, Ergasilidae) is described from the gills of the "jundiá," Rhamdia quelen (Teleostei, Siluriformes, Pimelodidae), from fish ponds in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The new species has a falciform semipinnate terminal seta on the first exopod, which suggests phylogenetic affinity to 10 other congeners, all from fishes of the Amazon Basin. Based on general morphology, the new species shows great similarity to E. callophysus Thatcher and Boeger, 1984, a parasite of another pimelodid fish Callophysus macropterus. Ergasilus thatcheri n. sp., however, can be easily differentiated from E. callophysus in its possession of a more distal sensillum not located on a cuticular elevation, and a row of spinules on the inner margin of the second antennal segment (first endopodal segment).     

Cichlidogyrus Paperna, 1960 (Monogenea, Ancyrocephalidae): gill parasites from West African Cichlidae of the subgenus Coptodon Regan, 1920 (Pisces), with descriptions of six new species

A study of gill parasites from fishes of the subgenus Coptodon Regan, 1920 (Cichlidae), namely Tilapia coffea Thys van den Audenaerde, T. dageti Thys van den Audenaerde, T. guineensis (Bleeker), T. louka Thys van den Audenaerde, T. walteri Thys van den Audenaerde and T. zillii (Gervais), from different locations in West Africa (Burkina Fasso, Congo, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali and Senegal), revealed the presence of 19 species of Cichlidogyrus Paperna, 1960 (Monogenea, Ancyrocephalidae). Six are considered new species: C. amphoratus n. sp., C. levequei n. sp., C. microscutus n. sp., C. ornatus n. sp., C. ouedraogoi n. sp. and C. yanni n. sp. The host-specificity of these parasites is discussed.     

Systematics of the tribe Trematocarini (Perciformes: Cichlidae) from Lake Tanganyika, Africa

 Phylogenetic relationships among eight Trematocara species and a single Telotrematocara species included in the Tanganyikan cichlid tribe Trematocarini were investigated on the basis of morphological features. The monophyly of the tribe is supported by the presence of hypertrophied sensory pores on the head, tendon “c” of adductor mandibulae section 1, a single scale row between the upper lateral line and body axis, great depth of the anteriormost infraorbital (reversed in Trematocara caparti and T. stigmaticum), and the absence of a lower lateral line. Trematocara is paraphyletic unless Telotrematocara is treated as a junior synonym. Received: December 10, 2001 / Revised: March 18, 2002 / Accepted: April 4, 2002     

A new species of Benedenia Diesing, 1858 (Monogenea: Capsalidae) parasitic on Lethrinus haematopterus Temminck & Schlegel (Perciformes: Lethrinidae) from Japan

Systematic Parasitology - A new species of capsalid monogenean, Benedenia armata n. sp., is described from Lethrinus haematopterus Temminck &amp; Schlegel (Perciformes: Lethrinidae) from off...     

Feeding habits of cichlid species (Perciformes: Cichlidae) in Caobas lake, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Feeding habits of seven cichlid species (Archocentrus octofasciatus, A. spilurus, "Cichlasoma" robertsoni, "C." synspilum, "C." urophthalmus, Petenia splendida, Thorichthys meeki) in Lake Caobas, southern Yucatan Peninsula, were studied. Samples were taken with enclosure and cast nets during the dry and rainy seasons of 1995 (day and night). The environment was characterized by measuring temperature, conductivity and pH. All individuals were below 41 mm SL (N = 281). Frequency of occurrence and prey abundance were analyzed. Main prey items were chironomids, mites, copepods, cladocerans, and ostracods. The cichlids fed mainly on zooplankton, with the partial exceptions of P. splendida (piscivore), "C." synspilum and A. spilurus (herbivores). A cluster analysis showed that the most similar trophic spectra were those of T. meeki, "C." robertsoni and "C." salvini, which were also the least diverse. "C." synspilum and A. spilurus had an intermediate distance between their diets and those of other species. The species with the most distinctive feeding composition were P. splendida (with the most diverse and equitable diet) and the omnivore A. octofasciatus (whose diet was the richest one). T. meeki showed quantitative diel, ontogenetic, and seasonal diet changes, but none between sexes. "C." robertsoni, "C." salvini and "C." synspilum differ in food habits in Caobas and in other localities, a fact that underscores the trophic adaptability of cichlids. Trophic overlap between cichlids in Caobas could imply absence of competition, perhaps because resources are abundant in the ecosystem.     

A new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hamaticolax</Emphasis> Ho &amp; Lin, 2006 (Copepoda: Bomolochidae) from deep water macrourids in the Mediterranean

Hamaticolax resupinus n. sp. is described from specimens collected from the gill cavities of Coelorinchus mediterraneus Iwamoto & Ungaro and Coryphaenoides mediterraneus (Giglioli) (Gadiformes: Macrouridae) caught in the Western Mediterranean Sea at depths between 1,236 and 1,626 m. Hamaticolax resupinus n. sp. closely resembles H. maleus Oldewage, 1994, but differs from the latter by its smaller body size and in having a genital double-somite in the female that is markedly wider than the free abdominal somites and has strongly convex lateral margins. The new species is only the second bomolochid found on a macrourid host and is the first from depths in excess of 1,200 m. Hamaticolax resupinus n. sp. also represents the first parasitic copepod recorded from Coe. mediterraneus and only the third one from Cor. mediterraneus worldwide.     

Age-growth models for tilapia Oreochromis aureus (Perciformes, Cichlidae) of the Infiernillo reservoir, Mexico and reproductive behaviour

In presence of a decrease in the catch from Infiernillo reservoir, Michoacán-Guerrero, Mexico, age and growth of tilapia Oreochromis aureus (Steindachner 1864) were estimated, as indispensable attributes for fishery management. Evaluations included scales and opercular bones readings and length frequency analysis. The population structure was determined too. Due to the great variation of tilapia individual growth and with the objective to have reliable growth estimations, linearized, non-parametric and non-linear methods were used and their applicability discussed. Comparison of ages determined from these methods revealed that opercular bones readings had advantages over scales. Reproduction and competition for space and food were considered as responsible factors for ring-formation on tilapia hard structures. The non-linear method was considered the best for modelling populations highly variable, which is characteristic of tilapia and tropical fish with multiple spawns. The growth parameters estimated were Linfinity = 479 mm, K = 0.46/yr, t0 = -0.055 yr. The tilapia population in Infiernillo reservoir is dominated by juveniles less than 1.5 years old. The fishery activity is affecting the tilapia population growth because are caught when they have not yet spawned. Therefore, this fishery is in urgent need of regulation. Increasing the mesh size of the gill nets might contribute to protect the reproductive potential of the stock.