Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences
DOI
10.3906/vet-0907-130
Abstract
Cymothoidae are cosmopolitan, ubiquitous, and nonspecific parasites of fish of different biotopes causing a significant economic loss to fisheries either by killing and stunting or simply by damaging their hosts. This study represents the first record of Mothocya melanosticta from the Red Sea, with a new host record in Myripristis murdjan (pinecone soldierfish), the other resident species of the fish-parasitic isopod family Cymothoidae in Egypt. The recovered Mothocya melanosticta was of moderate body size (17.7 × 8.2 mm) and had a cephalon with widely truncated rostrum, short pleotelson with uropod rami not extending beyond the telson, and the presence of a small rounded protrusion ranging in size from 0.3 to 0.5 mm on the lateral side of pereonite II. The overall prevalence was 31.25% and it was only found in the branchial cavity. The monthly and seasonal variation in infestation is reported.
Keywords
Egypt, Mothocya melanosticta, Myripristis murdjan, prevalence, Red Sea
First Page
577
Last Page
584
Recommended Citation
ELSHAHAWY, ISMAIL SAAD and DESOUKY, ABDEL-RAZEK YOUSF
(2012)
"First record of Mothocya melanosticta Schioedte and Meinert, 1884 (Isopoda: Cymothoidae) from Egyptian pinecone soldierfish with special reference to its infestation status,"
Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences: Vol. 36:
No.
6, Article 1.
https://doi.org/10.3906/vet-0907-130
Available at:
https://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/veterinary/vol36/iss6/1
