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

Abstract

The ichthyofauna of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts off the American continent is very rich. Consequently, a high biodiversity of nematodes parasitizing these vertebrates is also expected. Currently, data on nematode parasites of marine fish off the Americas are fragmented. A review of all adult nematode species reported parasitizing marine fish from off the American continent is herein presented, as well as comments on their patterns of diversity, life cycles and advances in the taxonomic and phylogenetic knowledge. A total of 209 valid species, 19 species inquirendae and 6 dubious records have been recorded, the majority from the fish taxa Eupercaria and Perciformes. The families Sciaenidae, Serranidae and Lutjanidae, as well as the tropical and temperate Atlantic waters, exhibited the highest records of parasitic nematodes. The Cucullanidae, Philometridae and Cystidicolidae were the most speciose families of nematodes, which may be related to technological advances and relatively recent efforts of taxonomists, resulting in description of new taxa and the resolution of taxonomic problems. Numerous taxonomic questions still need resolution and, even though genetic data have been important for this process, the database is very scarce. This is the first review on all currently known nematode species parasitizing marine fish off the Americas and may serve as an important basis of reference for future approaches on these organisms.

Fish parasites (special issue)

“…Parasitic nematodes are widespread and economically important parasites of freshwater and https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182022001433 Published online by Cambridge University Press 7 marine fishes but their diversity, host associations and geographical distribution are insufficiently known, especially in the Americas. Felipe Bisaggio Pereira from Brazil and David González-Solís from Mexico review patterns of diversity, life cycles and advances in the taxonomic and phylogenetic knowledge of adult nematode species parasitising marine fish from off the American continent (Pereira & González-Solís, 2022). Fishes of the families Sciaenidae, Serranidae and Lutjanidae exhibit the highest diversity of parasitic nematodes, which occur most frequently in the tropical and temperate Atlantic waters.…”