Metamicrocotyla macracantha (Alexander, 1954) Koratha, 1955

Vidal-Martinez, Victor Manuel, Soler-Jimenez, Lilia Catherinne, Aguirre-Macedo, Ma. Leopoldina, Mclaughlin, John, Jaramillo, Alejandra G., Shaw 2, Jenny C., James, Anna, Hechinger, Ryan F., Kuris, Armand M. & Lafferty, Kevin D., 2017, Monogenea of fishes from the lagoon flats of Palmyra Atoll in the Central Pacific, ZooKeys 713, pp. 1-23 : 11-12

Metamicrocotyla macracantha (Alexander, 1954) Koratha, 1955

Type host.

Mugil cephalus Linnaeus ( Mugilidae ).

Other host and localities.

Mugil cephalus from off Mexico (as Microcotyle macracantha ) ( Alexander 1954), the Gulf of California and Port Aransas, Texas from the same host (as Metamicrocotyla macracantha ) ( Koratha 1955), and Mugil liza from Brazil (as Metamicrocotyla macracantha ) ( Kohn et al. 1994). There are several reports of Metamicrocotyla macracantha from the USA on M. cephalus ( Hargis 1956, Skinner 1975, 1978, Rawson 1976, Minchew 1977, Collins 1985), as well as from Australia ( Young 1970), Mexico ( Bravo–Hollis 1966, 1982, Juárez-Arroyo and Salgado-Maldonado 1989), Peru ( Tantalean 1974), Puerto Rico ( Garcia and Williams 1985), Chile ( Oliva and Muñoz 1985, Bargiela 1987), and Venezuela ( Conroy et al. 1985, 1986) from Mugil curema Valenciennes (all Mugilidae ).

Current host.

Crenimugil crenilabris ( Forsskål) ( Mugilidae ) (New host).

Site infection.

Gills.

Specimens deposited.

CHCM No. 552 (paratypes) (1 slide, 1 specimen).

Prevalence and mean intensity.

4,8 and 3 ± 1 (n=42).

Remarks: Metamicrocotyla macracantha is characterized by having a haptor separated from the body proper by a peduncle and with 26-67 clamps disposed in 2 symmetrical lateral rows. The shape of haptor varies depending on state of contraction and number of clamps. Clamps of microcotylid type, similar in shape, somewhat variable in size; middle clamps are the largest, and those from anterior and posterior ends are the smallest. Testes rounded, normally 16 to 25 in a zigzag line occupying inter-caecal space. The presence of M. macracantha from the gills of Crenimugil crenilabris off Palmyra Atoll represents both a new host and a new geographical record.