Some gonad-infecting species of Philometra (Nematoda, Philometridae) from offshore fishes of South Carolina and Georgia, USA, including Philometra charlestonensis sp. nov. from the scamp Mycteroperca phenax

Abstract

Three gonad-infecting species of Philometra Costa, 1845 were, for the first time, recorded from perciform fishes from estuarine and marine waters in South Carolina and Georgia, USA: Philometra charlestonensis sp. nov. from the scamp Mycteroperca phenax (Jordan et Swain) (Serranidae), P. saltatrix Ramachandran, 1973 from the bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus) (Pomatomidae), and Philometra sp. from the Atlantic croaker Micropogonias undulatus (Linnaeus) (Sciaenidae). The new species is characterized mainly by males (body length 2.65-3.14 mm) with equally long, needle-like spicules (length 132-141 µm) and the gubernaculum (81-93 µm) bearing dorsal transverse lamella-like structures on its distal portion, the body length of gravid females (168-247 mm), the presence of a well-developed anterior bulbous inflation on the female oesophagus, and by the length of the first-stage larvae (544-597 µm). A key to gonad-infecting species of Philometra parasitizing marine and brackish-water fishes is provided.

New philometrids (Nematoda, Philometridae) from head tissues of two serranid fishes (Epinephelus morio and Mycteroperca microlepis) off Florida, northern Gulf of Mexico

“…To date, only two gonad-infecting species of Philometra have been reported from fishes belonging to Mycteroperca Gill: P. lateolabracis (Yamaguti, 1935) (Moravec et al 2008b). Consequently, Philometra sp.…”

“…can be distinguished only by their males, whereas their conspecific females are morphologically indistinguishable, as found, for example, in some gonad-infecting species from serranid fishes (Epinephelus and Mycteroperca spp.) (e.g., Moravec et al 2008b, Quiazon et al 2008a, Moravec and Justine 2009 or in some Philometra spp. parasitizing the abdominal cavity of European freshwater cyprinids (Moravec 2006).…”

Philometra johnii sp. nov. (Nematoda, Philometridae), a new gonad-infecting philometrid from the sin croaker Johnius dussumieri (Cuvier) (Perciformes, Sciaenidae) from marine waters of Iraq

“…At present, 36 gonad-infecting species of Philometra are known to infect marine and brackish-water fishes (Moravec and Manoharan 2013 Moravec et Manoharan, 2013, P. lateolabracis (Yamaguti, 1935, P. madai Quiazon, Yoshinaga et Ogawa, 2008, P. nemipteri Luo, 2001, P. priacanthi Moravec et Justine, 2009, P. saltatrix Ramachandran, 1973, P. sciaenae Yamaguti, 1941, P. scomberomori (Yamaguti, 1935 and P. terapontis Moravec, Gopalakrishnan, Rajkumar, Saravanakumar et Kaliyamoorthy, 2011 (see Quiazon et al 2008a, b;Moravec andJustine 2009, 2011;Moravec et al 2008Moravec et al , 2011aMoravec and Manoharan 2013). Of these, a distinct dorsal protuberance near the distal extremity of the gubernaculum, which occurs in the new species, is also present only in P. gerrei, P. lateolabracis, P. priacanthi and P. terapontis.…”

Some philometrid nematodes (Philometridae), including four new species of Philometra, from marine fishes off New Caledonia

“…nemipteri Luo, 2001, are considered species inquirendae. All of them are parasites of marine fishes and the following six species were described or reported from the gonads of hosts belonging to the perciform family Serranidae (groupers): Philometra managatuwo Yamaguti, 1941 from Epinephelus septemfasciatus off Japan; P. serranellicabrillae Janiszewska, 1949 and P. jordanoi (López-Neyra, 1951) from Serranus cabrilla and Epinephelus marginatus, respectively, from the Mediterranean Sea; P. margolisi Moravec, Vidal-Martínez et Aguirre-Macedo, 1995 and P. mexicana Moravec et Salgado-Maldonado, 2007 from Epinephelus morio and Epinephelus adscensionis, respectively, from the Gulf of Mexico; and P. charlestonensis Moravec, de Buron, Baker et González-Solís, 2008 from Mycteroperca phenax off the Atlantic coast of the USA (see Moravec 2006Moravec , 2008Moravec et al 2008a).…”

“…Comments: According to Moravec et al (2008a), to date there are 23 gonad-infecting species of Philometra, two of which, P. neolateolabracis Rajyalakshmi, Hanumantha Rao et Shyamasundari, 1985 andP. nemipteri Luo, 2001, are considered species inquirendae.…”