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ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Coral reefs are areas of maximum biodiversity, but the parasites of coral reef fishes, and especially their species richness, are not well known. Over an 8-year period, parasites were collected from 24 species of Lutjanidae, Nemipteridae and Caesionidae off New Caledonia, South Pacific. RESULTS: Host-parasite and parasite-host lists are provided, with a total of 207 host-parasite combinations and 58 parasite species identified at the species level, with 27 new host records. Results are presented for isopods, copepods, monogeneans, digeneans, cestodes and nematodes. When results are restricted to well-sampled reef fish species (sample size[THIN SPACE]>[THIN SPACE]30), the number of host-parasite combinations is 20[EN DASH]25 per fish species, and the number of parasites identified at the species level is 9[EN DASH]13 per fish species. Lutjanids include reef-associated fish and deeper sea fish from the outer slopes of the coral reef: fish from both milieus were compared. Surprisingly, parasite biodiversity was higher in deeper sea fish than in reef fish (host-parasite combinations: 12.50 vs 10.13, number of species per fish 3.75 vs 3.00); however, we identified four biases which diminish the validity of this comparison. Finally, these results and previously published results allow us to propose a generalization of parasite biodiversity for four major families of reef-associated fishes (Lutjanidae, Nemipteridae, Serranidae and Lethrinidae): well-sampled fish have a mean of 20 host-parasite combinations per fish species, and the number of parasites identified at the species level is 10 per fish species. CONCLUSIONS: Since all precautions have been taken to minimize taxon numbers, it is safe to affirm than the number of fish parasites is at least ten times the number of fish species in coral reefs, for species of similar size or larger than the species in the four families studied; this is a major improvement to our estimate of biodiversity in coral reefs. Our results suggest that extinction of a coral reef fish species would eventually result in the coextinction of at least ten species of parasites.
Aquatic biosystems. 09/2012; 8(1):22.
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ABSTRACT: The cymothoid isopod Elthusa epinepheli sp. nov., a branchial parasite of the blacksaddle grouper Epinephelus howlandi (Serranidae, Epinephelinae) from the coral reef of New Caledonia (Southwestern Pacific), is described and figured.Within
the genus, E. epinepheli shows some similarity with E. raynaudii and E. myripristae. The ovigerous female of E. epinepheli can be distinguished from E. raynaudii by a less ovate body; cephalon deeply immersed in pereonite 1; eyes almost concealed by the amphicephalic processes; pereonites
3–7 distinctly decreasing in size (width and length); pleonites 1–5 distinctly increasing in width; and pleotelson larger.
E. epinepheli can be distinguished from E. myripristae by the anterior margin of the cephalon being rounded in dorsal view and all pleonites being visible. E. epinepheli is the first species of Elthusa reported from the host genus Epinephelus.
Elthusa epinepheli sp. nov. (Isopoda, Cymothoidae), parasite branchial du mérou Epinephelus howlandi du récif corallien de Nouvelle-Calédonie, est décrit et représenté. A l’intérieur du genre, E. epinepheli est morphologiquement proche des deux espèces E. raynaudii et E. myripristae. Par rapport à E. raynaudii, la femelle ovigère de E. epinepheli est caractérisée par un corps moins ovale, un céphalon profondément inclus dans le péréonite 1, des yeux presque entièrement
dissimulés par les processus amphicéphaliques, des péréonites dont la taille (largeur et longueur) diminue nettement du troisième
au septième, des pléonites dont la largeur augmente nettement du premier au cinquième et un pléotelson plus grand. Le bord
antérieur arrondi de son céphalon et le fait que tous les pléonites soient visibles permet de distinguer E. epinepheli de E. myripristae. E. epinepheli est le premier Elthusa signalé sur des poissons du genre Epinephelus.
KeywordsIsopoda-Cymothoidae-
Elthusa epinepheli sp. nov.-
Epinephelus howlandi
-New Caledonia
Acta Parasitologica 04/2012; 55(2):177-187. · 0.79 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Abstract: Over a 7-year period, parasites have been collected from 28 species of groupers (Serranidae, Epinephelinae) in the waters off New Caledonia. Host-parasite and parasite-host lists are provided, with a total of 337 host-parasite combinations, including 146 parasite identifications at the species level. Results are included for isopods (5 species), copepods (19), monogeneans (56), digeneans (28), cestodes (12), and nematodes (12). When results are restricted to those 14 fish species for which more than five specimens were examined and to parasites identified at the species level, 109 host-parasite combinations were recorded, with 63 different species, of which monogeneans account for half (32 species), and an average of 4.5 parasite species per fish species. Digenean records were compared for 16 fish species shared with the study of Cribb et al. (2002); based on a total of 90 parasite records identified at the species level, New Caledonia has 17 new records and only seven species were already known from other locations. We hypothesize that the present results represent only a small part of the actual biodiversity, and we predict a biodiversity of 10 different parasite species and 30 host-parasite combinations per serranid. A comparison with a study on Heron Island (Queensland, Australia) by Lester and Sewell (1989) was attempted: of the four species of fish in common and in a total of 91 host-parasite combinations, only six parasites identified at the species level were shared. This suggests strongly that insufficient sampling impairs proper biogeographical or ecological comparisons. Probably only 3% of the parasite species of coral reef fish are already known in New Caledonia.
Folia parasitologica 11/2010; 57(4):237-62. · 1.81 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Elthusa parabothi n. sp. (Cymothoidae), parasite on Parabothus kiensis (Teleostei, Bothidae) collected at a depth of 400 m off New Caledonia, is described. The species is characterised by the almost regular circular shape of females, and is very different from the other species of the genus; it superficially resembles Livoneca circularis but can be distinguished by features of body and appendages. Three species of Aegidae were collected from deep-sea (300-900 m) sharks caught off New Caledonia: Aega angustata Whitelegge, 1901, collected from Hexanchus nakamurai, Squalus megalops and Squalus melanurus, and Aega cf deshaysiana (Milne Edwards, 1840) and Aega webbii (Guerin, 1836), both collected from Squalus megalops. Their morphological characteristics are described. These are new records for New Caledonia and for these sharks.
Zoosystema. 26:211-233.
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ABSTRACT: Elthusa parabothi n. sp. (Cymothoidae), parasite on Parabothus kiensis (Teleostei, Bothidae) collected at a depth of 400 m off New Caledonia, is described. The species is characterised by the almost regular circular shape of females, and is very different from the other species of the genus; it superficially resembles Livoneca circularis but can be distinguished by features of body and appendages. Three species of Aegidae were collected from deep-sea (300-900 m) sharks caught off New Caledonia: Aega angustata Whitelegge, 1901, collected from Hexanchus nakamurai, Squalus megalops and Squalus melanurus, and Aega cf deshaysiana (Milne Edwards, 1840) and Aega webbii (Guerin, 1836), both collected from Squalus megalops. Their morphological characteristics are described. These are new records for New Caledonia and for these sharks.
Zoosystema. 26(2):211-233.
