Parasites of the Vermilion Snapper, Rhomboplites aurorubens (Cuvier), from the Western Atlantic Ocean

摘要

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).