title: Otobothrium penetrans (Cestoda; Trypanorhyncha) in the flesh of belonid fish from Philippine waters.
abstract: In April 1990, 488 marine fish belonging to 30 species from central Philippine waters were examined for flesh parasitic infections that may affect their consumability. One species of hemirhamphids and 3 species of belonids harboured plerocercoids of Otobothrium penetrans Linton, 1907 (Proceedings of the U.S. National Museum 33, 85-126). This is the first record of this parasite from Pacific fish species. The highest intensity of infection found was 8 in Tylosurus crocodilus. Most of the larvae were located between the dorsal spines of the vertebral column, only 32% were found in the fillets. Based on the present material we give a description of the plerocercoid stage of the species using scanning electron microscopy of the armature and morphometrical measurements. Comparison to results from earlier findings of O. penetrans by Linton (1907; 1924, Proceedings of the U.S. National Museum 64, 1-114) and to O. kurisi by Shields (1985, International Journal for Parasitology 15: 635-643) lead to the conclusion that the latter species is a synonym for O. penetrans.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Meereskunde, Universität Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Palm
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Möller
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Petersen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002589:Cestoda / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002590:Cestode Infections / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000469:parasitology; D005399:Fishes / Q000469:parasitology*; D016266:Food Parasitology; D010679:Philippines