Four New Polyonchoineans (Monogenoidea) Parasitic on Gills of Marine Fishes from the Indian Seas

Abstract

Four new species of monogenetic trematodes belonging to four different families of the subclass Polyonchoinea Bychowsky, 1937 are described. They are Diplectanum narimeen sp. n. of the family Diplectanidae Bychowsky, 1957, parasitic on Lates calcarifer (Bloch); Neocalceostoma arii sp. n. of the family Calceostomatidae (Par. and Per. 1890) Price, 1937, parasitic on Arius sp.; Tylosuricola panikkari gen. et sp. n. of the family Tetraonchidae Bychowsky, 1937, parasitic on Tylosurus leiurus (Blkr.); and Amphibdella narcine sp. n. of the family Amphibdellatidae (Carus, 1885) Bychowsky, 1957, parasitic on Narcine timlei (Bloch and Schn.). Heavy infestation by these gill trematodes was noticed except for Diplectanum narimeen sp. n. During the course of studies on parasites of marine food fishes from the Indian seas, in the Marine Biological Laboratory at Trivandrum (southwest coast of India) and the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute at Mandapam (southeast coast of India), four new species of monogenetic trematodes belonging to the subclass Polyonchoinea Bychowsky, 1937, were collected. These species are described below. The collection and treatment of material was given in a previous work (Unnithan, 1957). Family Diplectanidae Bychowsky, 1957 Diplectanum narimeen sp. n. (Plate I, Figs. 1 to 3) Host: Lates calcarifer (Bloch). Location: Gills. Locality: Mandapam Camp. Date: 25 November 1956. Number of specimens: Five.