First Parasites (Cnidaria: Myxobolidae; Trematoda: Digenea: Clinostomidae) Reported from the Threatened Ozark Cavefish, Troglichthys rosae (Percopsiformes: Amblyopsidae), from Arkansas, U.S.A., with a Summary of the Parasites of North American Cavefishes

Abstract

Examination of 4 Ozark cavefish, Troglichthys rosae, collected opportunistically during February 2020 from Benton County, Arkansas, U.S.A., revealed the presence of an unknown myxozoan (Myxobolus sp.) in the gall bladder of 1 fish and encapsulated metacercariae of Clinostomum sp. ("yellow grub") in 2 hosts. One Ozark cavefish harbored 4 metacercaria and the other a single metacercaria. This is the first report of any parasite from T. rosae, a federally threatened species. We also provide a summary of parasites reported from members of the cavefish and swampfish family, Amblyopsidae.