SPECIES OF HEMIRHAMPHICULUS BYCHOWSKY AND NAGIBINA, 1969 (MONOGENOIDEA: DACTYLOYRIDAE) INFECTING THE GILL LAMELLAE OF SOME BELONIFORM FISHES IN WATERS OF THE GULF OF MEXICO OFF FLORIDA, WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF FIVE NEW SPECIES AND COMMENTS ON THE DACTYLOGYRID GENERA HAVING SPECIES INFECTING BELONIFORM FISHES.

Abstract

Nine species of HemirhamphiculusBychowsky and Nagibina, 1969 (Dactylogyridae) were recorded from 6 beloniform fishes during a survey of the monogenoids infecting these fishes in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida from September 2017 through December 2020. Five new species were collected, illustrated, and described: Hemirhamphiculus acarips n. sp., Hemirhamphiculus longiclathra n. sp., and Hemirhamphiculus lucernula n. sp. all from Strongylura notata (Poey) and Hemirhamphiculus bilobatus n. sp. and Hemirhamphiculus litus n. sp. both from Strongylura timucu (Walbaum). Four previously described species were transferred to Hemirhamphiculus: Hemirhamphiculus tylosuri (MacCallum, 1917) n. comb. [formerly Ancyrocephalus tylosuri (MacCallum, 1917) Johnston and Tiegs, 1922]; Hemirhamphiculus parvus (Linton, 1940) n. comb. (formerly Ancyrocephalus parvusLinton, 1940); Hemirhamphiculus cornutus (Williams and Rogers, 1972) n. comb. (formerly Ancyrocephalus cornutusWilliams and Rogers, 1972); and Hemirhamphiculus trullae (Williams, 1980) n. comb. (formerly Ancyrocephalus trullaeWilliams, 1980). The occurrence of He. trullae on Hyporhamphus meeki represents a new host record for the parasite. Three Indo-Pacific species of Dactylogyridae were transferred to Hemirhamphiculus: Pseudohaliotrematoides recurvatusYamaguti, 1968, as Hemirhamphiculus recurvatus (Yamaguti, 1968) n. comb.; Tylosuricola haikouensisZhang, 2001, as Hemirhamphiculus haikouensis (Zhang, 2001) n. comb.; and Xenentocleidus xenentodoni (Jain, 1961) Tripathi, Agrawal, and Pandey, 2007, as Hemirhamphiculus xenentodoni (Jain, 1959) n. comb. XenentocleidusTripathi, Agrawal, and Pandey, 2007, was synonymized with Hemirhamphiculus as its junior subjective synonym. Bychowskymonogenea Caballero and Bravo Hollis, 1972, and Bychowskymonogenea sogandaresi Caballero and Bravo Hollis, 1972, were placed as junior subjective synonyms of Hemirhamphiculus and He. tylosuri, respectively, and the Bychowskymonogeninae Caballero and Bravo Hollis, 1972, was rejected as a valid subfamily of the Dactylogyridae.