Phyllodistomum scrippsi sp. n. (Digenea: Gorgoderidae) and Neobenedenia girellae (Hargis, 1955) Yamaguti, 1963 (Monogenea: Capsalidae) from the California Sheephead, Pimelometopon pulchrum (Ayres) (Pisces: Labridae)

Abstract

Phyllodistomum scrippsi sp. n. is described from the urinary bladder and Neobenedenia girellae is reported from the skin of Pimelometopon pulchrum from La Jolla, California. Phyllodistomum scrippsi differs from P. borisbychowskyi in possessing lobed vitellaria, fewer extracecal uterine loops, irregular to lobed gonads, and larger eggs; and from P. acceptum in possessing a short esophagus, nondigitiform vitelline lobes, and an oral sucker larger than the acetabulum. An annotated checklist of trematodes parasitizing P. pulchrum is given. A specimen of the California sheephead, Pimelometopon pulchrum (Ayres), was collected off La Jolla, California, in March 1974. The urinary bladder contained eight specimens of an unreported species of Phyllodistomum Braun, 1899 (Digenea: Gorgoderidae), and over 100 specimens of the monogenean Neobenedenia girellae (Hargis, 1955) Yamaguti, 1963, were found on the skin. The digeneans were fixed in situ with hot AFA, removed from the urinary bladder, and stored in 70% ethanol. Monogeneans were collected as suggested by Rogers (1966) and stored in 10% formalin. All worms were stained with Mayer's hematoxylin and mounted in Canada balsam for study as whole mounts. Figures were drawn with the aid of a camera lucida. All measurements are in microns unless