A new parasitic copepod (Cyclopoida: Bomolochidae) from a ponyfish (Leiognathidae) caught in Egyptian Mediterranean waters, with a review of hosts and key to species of Nothobomolochus.
A new bomolochid copepod belonging to the genus Nothobomolochus Vervoort, 1962 is described from a Red Sea fish species, a ponyfish of the family Leiognathidae that has become established in the Eastern Mediterranean. The new species, N. leiognathicola n. sp., is based on material obtained from the gill chamber of the Red Sea immigrant ponyfish Leiognathus klunzingeri (Steindachner), caught in Egyptian waters off the Alexandria coast at Abuqir. A second new species, N. monodi n. sp., is established to accommodate some material previously described as N. denticulatus (Bassett-Smith, 1898), from the host Hemiramphus far Forsskål. A review of host records reveals that Nothobomolochus species utilise hosts representing five different orders, but are most commonly found on beloniform, clupeiform and perciform fishes. A newly constructed key to the 37 valid species of Nothobomolochus is presented.
Department of Oceanography, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Moharram Bey, Alexandria, Egypt.
Hoda Hassan
HH
El-Rashidy
Geoffrey Allan
GA
Boxshall
D000818:Animals; D033342:Copepoda / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification*; D004534:Egypt; D005260:Female; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000469:parasitology; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D010473:Perciformes / Q000469:parasitology*; D013045:Species Specificity