Acta Parasitologica, Vol. 52, No. 3, 2007, 238–246. DOI: 10.2478/s11686-007-0026-z František Moravec (1)* and Jean-Lou Justine (2) –
A new species of Ascarophis (Nematoda, Cystidicolidae) from the stomach of the marine scorpaeniform fish
Hoplichthys citrinus from a seamount off the Chesterfield Islands, New Caledonia
(1) Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Branišovská 31, 370 05 České Budějovice,
Czech Republic;
(2) Équipe Biogéographie Marine Tropicale, Unité Systématique, Adaptation, Évolution (UPMC, CNRS, MNHN, IRD),
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, BP A5, 98848 Nouméa Cedex, New Caledonia
*Corresponding author: moravec@paru.cas.cz
ABSTRACT
Anew species of parasitic nematode, Ascarophis (Similascarophis) richeri sp. nov. (Cystidicolidae), is described from the stomach
of the marine scorpaeniform fish Hoplichthys citrinus Gilbert (Hoplichthyidae) (prevalence 19%, intensity 1–8 nematodes
per fish) collected in the region of the Chesterfield Islands (Coral Sea, west of New Caledonia) in October 2005. The new
species, studied using both light and scanning electron microscopy, is characterized mainly by the structure of the mouth (highly
reduced pseudolabia, high pseudolabial terminal projections, no submedian labia, well-developed, bilobed sublabia), bifurcate
deirids, the length of the spicules (663–729 µm and 105–108 µm) and the presence of filaments on both egg poles (2–5
on each). Similascarophis Muñoz, González et George-Nascimento, 2004 is considered a subgenus of Ascarophis van Beneden,
1871 to accommodate the species characterized by highly reduced pseudolabia. Presence of the new species in fish from
Seamount Nova (Lord Howe Rise) but not from the Chesterfield plateau suggests that it is endemic to this seamount, a case
already encountered for many benthic invertebrates.
KEY WORDS:
Parasitic nematode, Ascarophis, Similascarophis, marine fish, Hoplichthys, Chesterfield Islands, New Caledonia