New records of cucullanid nematodes from marine fishes off New Caledonia, with descriptions of five new species of Cucullanus (Nematoda, Cucullanidae)

Abstract

Recent examinations of cucullanid nematodes (Cucullanidae) from marine fishes off New Caledonia, collected in the years 2004–2009, revealed the presence of the following five new species of Cucullanus Müller, 1777, all parasitic in Perciformes: Cucullanus variolae n. sp. from Variola louti (type host) and V. albimarginata (both Serranidae); Cucullanus acutospiculatus n. sp. from Caesio cuning (Caesionidae); Cucullanus diagrammae n. sp. from Diagramma pictum (Haemulidae); Cucullanus parapercidis n. sp. from Parapercis xanthozona (type host) and P. hexophtalma (both Pinguipedidae); and Cucullanus petterae n. sp. from Epinephelus merra (type host) and E. fasciatus (both Serranidae). An additional congeneric species, Cucullanus bioccai Orecchia et Paggi, 1987 was recorded from Mugil cephalus (Mugilidae, Mugiliformes) (first record in the Pacific Ocean) and Cucullanus sp. (only female) was found in Arothron manilensis (Tetraodontidae, Tetraodontiformes). Furthermore, two known cucullanid species, Dichelyne (Cucullanellus) branchiostegi (Yamaguti, 1941) in Branchiostegus wardi (Malacanthidae, Perciformes) (new host and geographical records) and Dichelyne (Cucullanellus) bodiani Moravec et Justine, 2019 in Bodianus busellatus (new host) and B. perditio (both Labridae, Perciformes), were found; Dichelyne (Cucullanellus) sp. (only females) coinfecting the latter host may represent an unknown species. Most species are described based on light and electron microscopical studies. The specimens described by Xu et al., 2017 as Cucullanus bourdini Petter et Le Bel, 1992 from Caesio xanthonota (Caesionidae) in the Taiwan Strait are considered to represent a new species, for which the name Cucullanus sinensis n. sp. is proposed.

Parasites of pufferfish, Lagocephalus spp. and Torquigener flavimaculosus of the Israeli Mediterranean: A new case of Lessepsian endoparasites

“…The full life cycle of this genus is only known for one species, with invertebrates as the first hosts, with small fish as the secondary or paratenic hosts, and with large predatory fish as final hosts ( Anderson, 2000 ). Pufferfish are known as final hosts to the genus Raphidacaris in the Pacific Ocean ( Moravec and Justine, 2020 ). Therefore, the found Raphidascaris may theoretically be a Lessepsian migrant.…”

Review of the parasitic nematodes of marine fishes from off the American continent

“…Hysterothylacium Ward et Magath, 1917 is the third most speciose genus represented in off the Americas (17 species), although also the most problematic because several species have been reported in various fish hosts and even distant locations. Similarly, the species Acanthocheilus rotundatus (Rudolphi, 1819) Hartwich, 1957, Euterranova galeocerdonis (Thwaite, 1927) Moravec et Justine, 2020 and Pseudanisakis tricupola Gibson, 1973 were reported in several elasmobranchs in different regions of the world, thus its identity should be corroborated in all of them. The systematic status of Hysterothylacium deardorffoverstreetorum Knoff, Felizardo, Iniguez, Maldonado Jr., Torres, Pinto et Gomes, 2012, H. magnum (Smedley, 1934) Deardorff et Overstreet, 1981, H. melanogrammi (Smedley, 1934) Deardorff et Overstreet, 1981 and Raphidascaris ( Raphidascaris ) anchoviellae (Chandler, 1935) Moravec et Nagasawa, 2002 is uncertain because they were poorly described or based on larval stages.…”

“…Cucullanidae was the family with the highest richness of nematode species in the present survey. High diversity is commonly associated with cucullanids infecting fish in both marine and freshwater environments throughout the world (see Moravec et al, 2005;Vieira et al, 2015;Moravec and Justine, 2020), which is not different in the Americas. Philometridae was the second most species-rich family with numbers very close to those of Cucullanidae.…”

“…Out of the approximately 54 genera within Ascaridoidea, at least 11, belonging to 3 families, are represented in marine fishes off America, namely Anisakidae Railliet et Henry, 1912 (5 genera, 12 species), Ascarididae Baird, 1853 (1 genus, 2 species) and Raphidascarididae Hatwich, 1954 (5 genera, 1 subgenus, 22 species). All are valid, although the genera Euterranova Moravec et Justine, 2020 and Iheringascaris Pereira, 1935 were not listed by Hodda (2022 a ), but there is no reason to consider them invalid. The genus Terranova Leiper et Atkinson, 1914 (and 3 species) was not included because it is considered as genus inquirendum (see Moravec and Justine, 2020).…”

“…All are valid, although the genera Euterranova Moravec et Justine, 2020 and Iheringascaris Pereira, 1935 were not listed by Hodda (2022 a ), but there is no reason to consider them invalid. The genus Terranova Leiper et Atkinson, 1914 (and 3 species) was not included because it is considered as genus inquirendum (see Moravec and Justine, 2020). Hysterothylacium Ward et Magath, 1917 is the third most speciose genus represented in off the Americas (17 species), although also the most problematic because several species have been reported in various fish hosts and even distant locations.…”