New Records of Neobenedenia girellae (Hargis, 1955) (Monogenea: Capsalidae) in Marine Ornamental Fish Imported to Yucatan, Mexico

Abstract

We detected N. girellae infections in 40 species belonging to 12 families of imported marine ornamental sh from a public aquarium in the Mexican state of Yucatan in January 2018 to December 2020 and carried out their identi cation to the species level using morphological and molecular analyses. Monogeneans were corroborated morphologically and molecularly using a partial sequence of 28S (region D1-D3) ribosomal DNA and analyzed in a molecular phylogenetic context in combination with data derived from other species of N. girellae available in GenBank. The phylogenetic tree revealed that the specimen found consistently belonged to the N. girellae clade. High infection parameters were detected of N. girellae in the hosts. This identi cation is relevant to aquarists and aquaculturists in the Gulf of Mexico because N. girellae is considered highly pathogenic in con ned sh. Clearly, this work demonstrates that the importation of ornamental sh, coupled with de cient sanitary measures (lack of quarantine areas in distribution centres) contributes to the introduction of parasites and their establishment and dispersal within Mexico.