First record of Amphipolycotyle chloroscombrus Hargis, 1957 (Monogenea, Polyopisthocotylea, Gastrocotylidae) in the South Atlantic Ocean

Abstract

Monogeneans are a group of largely ectoparasitic members of the phylum Platyhelminthes. These worms are considered to be among the most host-specific parasites in fish, commonly found on fins, body skin, gills, gill chambers, buccal cavity, cornea and nostrils of their host (BUCHMANN et al., 2004). However, the monogenean Polyopisthocotylea are generally found attached to the gill filaments of their hosts in all the seas of the world, occurring from littoral zones to open oceanic waters, from the poles to the tropics, and from surface waters to the depths of the sea (ROHDE, 2005). They have high host specificity, containing the greatest number of species in the group of marine parasites (LAMBERT, 1990; WILLIAMS JUNIOR; BUNKLEY-WILLIAMS, 1996; BUSH et al., 2001; ROHDE, 2005).