Parasitic crustaceans (Branchiura and Copepoda) parasitizing the gills of puffer fish species (Tetraodontidae) from the coast of Campeche, Gulf of Mexico.

New information on the marine parasitic crustaceans from the Campeche coast, Gulf of Mexico (GoM), can improve our baseline knowledge of the ecology of both the host and parasite by providing, for example, parameters of infection. Such knowledge is especially important for fish farming, so that appropriate quarantine measures can be established. Our aim was to morphologically identify the parasitic crustaceans infecting puffer fish of commercial importance in the coastal zone of Campeche, Mexico. We provide new information on four known species of parasitic crustaceans from 92 specimens representing five species of tetraodontid fish. The parasitic crustaceans Argulus sp. (Branchiura, Argulidae), Caligushaemulonis (Caligidae), Pseudochondracanthusdiceraus (Chondracanthidae), and Taeniacanthuslagocephali (Taeniacanthidae) (all Copepoda) were found on Lagocephaluslaevigatus, Sphoeroidesnephelus, S.parvus, S.spengleri, and S.testudineus. This study revealed the occurrence of P.diceraus, which is of importance in aquaculture, on Sphoeroidesannulatus in the Mexican Pacific. Additionally, our results and other documentary records provide the first evidence of the interoceanic occurrence of the same parasitic crustacean species in the south-southwest of Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean. Moreover, our study provides valuable information on the biodiversity of parasitic crustaceans present in the GoM on puffer fish which are of great commercial importance for human consumption, fisheries, and aquaculture.

New Entamoeba group in howler monkeys (Alouatta spp.) associated with parasites of reptiles.

Our knowledge of the parasite species present in wildlife hosts is incomplete. Protozoans such as amoebae of the genus Entamoeba infect a large variety of vertebrate species, including NHPs. However, traditionally, their identification has been accomplished through microscopic evaluation; therefore, amoeba species have not always been identified correctly. We searched for Entamoeba spp. using a fragment of the small subunit rDNA in free-ranging howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata and A. pigra) from southeast Mexico. One hundred fifty five samples were collected, with 46 from A. palliata and 109 from A. pigra and 8 of the total samples were positive. We detected a new clade of Entamoeba, which was separated from other described species but closer to E. insolita, as well as an unnamed sequence typically found in iguana species with low shared identity values (<90%). We designated this new clade as conditional lineage 8 (CL8) and we have shown that members of this group are not exclusive to reptiles.