Folia Parasitologica 53[3] 223-239 (2006) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2006.029

Some camallanid nematodes from marine perciform fishes off New Caledonia

František Moravec¹, Jean-Lou Justine², Mark C. Rigby^3,4

¹ Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Branišovská 31, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic

² Équipe Biogéographie Marine Tropicale, Unité Systématique, Adaptation, Évolution (UPMC, CNRS, MNHN, IRD), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, BP A5, 98848 Nouméa Cedex, New Caledonia

³ TetraTech, 3746 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Suite 300, Lafayette, California 94549-3681, USA

⁴ Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-6150, USA

Two new, one known and three unidentified species of the nematode family Camallanidae are reported and described from the intestines of marine perciform fishes off the southwestern coast of New Caledonia, South Pacific: Camallanus carangis Olsen, 1952 from the forked-tailed threadfin bream Nemipterus furcosus (Nemipteridae), the yellowstriped goatfish Upeneus vittatus and the whitesaddle goatfish Parupeneus ciliatus (both Mullidae) (new host records); Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) variolae sp. n. from the white-edged lyretail Variola albimarginata (type host) and the blacktip grouper Epinephelus fasciatus (both Serranidae); Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) longus sp. n. from the twotone tang Zebrasoma scopas (Acanthuridae); Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) sp. 1 (female tail with 2 terminal spikes on a digit-like projection) from the speckled sandperch Parapercis hexophtalma (Pinguipedidae); Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) sp. 2 (female tail with 1 spike on a digit-like projection) from the drab emperor Lethrinus ravus (Lethrinidae) and Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) sp. 3 (female tail with a smooth digit-like protrusion) from the two-lined monocle bream Scolopsis bilineata (Nemipteridae). Camallanus paracarangis Velasquez, 1980 is synonymized with C. carangis. Several additional species of Camallanus from marine fish of the Indo-Pacific region may be synonymous with C. carangis as it has a poorly sclerotized left spicule and 3 small caudal projections on the tail of young (i.e., non-gravid) females. The fourth-stage larva of C. carangis is described for the first time. P. (S.) variolae differs from most similar species of this region mainly in the position (i.e., at level or posterior to the nerve ring) and shape of deirids. P. (S.) longus differs from the similar P. (S.) chaimha mainly in a different arrangement of postanal papillae, shape of the female tail, much longer right spicule (429 µm) and longer body of gravid females (38-55 mm). All Camallanus and Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus) spp. reported here represent the first records of camallanids from marine fishes in New Caledonian waters.

Keywords: parasitic nematode, Camallanus, Procamallanus (Spirocamallanus), new species, marine fish, New Caledonia, South Pacific Ocean

Received: May 4, 2006; Accepted: June 7, 2006; Published: September 1, 2006  Show citation