Transversotrematidae (Platyhelminthes: Trematoda) are rich and abundant on Indo-Pacific fishes

摘要

The Transversotrematidae, perhaps because of their unique and obscure habitat under the scales of fishes, have been little reported in surveys and studies of trematodes of marine fishes. At present there are just three fully marine species recognized. We have surveyed 2604 individuals, from 359 species and 71 families, of marine fishes from a range of sites mainly from coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific. We found infections on 87 species and 15 families of fishes; one family, Monodactylidae, is new for transversotrematids. Morphological and molecular analyses suggest that, in addition to Crusziella formosa which parasitizes only mugilids, there are three complexes of species of Transversotrema; one associated with mullids only, one with haemulids, labrids, lethrinids and scarids, and one associated with at least 13 families of fishes. Molecular evidence suggests that these complexes comprise at least 22 species. Overall we conclude that the richness of this family has been significantly underestimated and that it is rich and abundant on fishes of the Indo-Pacific.