Pseudascarophis sp.

Gonzalez-Solis, David, Soler-Jimenez, Lilia C., Aguirre-Macedo, M. Leopoldina, McLaughlin, John P., Shaw, Jenny C., James, Anna K., Hechinger, Ryan F., Kuris, Armand M., Lafferty, Kevin D. & Vidal-Martinez, Victor M., 2019, Parasitic nematodes of marine fishes from Palmyra Atoll, East Indo-Pacific, including a new species of Spinitectus (Nematoda, Cystidicolidae), ZooKeys 892, pp. 1-26 : 1

Pseudascarophis sp.

Description.

Gravid female (1 specimen): large, whitish nematode, 18.20 mm long, 158 wide. Anterior end rounded with two large rounded pseudolabia. Vestibule relatively short, 159 long, with anterior prostom and posterior part forming a transverse ring on anterior end of esophagus. Muscular esophagus short, narrow, 258 long; glandular part broader, 5 times longer than muscular one, 1.52 mm long. Nerve ring encircling muscular esophagus at its first third, 206 from anterior body end. Deirids small, bifurcated, situated between second and third thirds of vestibule length, 109 from anterior end of body. Excretory pore posterior to level of nerve ring, 220 from cephalic end. Vagina muscular directed posteriorly. Vulva pre-equatorial, 8.74 mm from anterior end of body, with not elevated lips. Fully developed eggs, thick-walled, larvated, without filaments, 31-36 × 24-29. Tail elongate, 239 long, with rounded tip.

Hosts.

Chaetodon auriga , C. lunula , and M. flavolineatus .

Site of infection.

Stomach.

Prevalence and mean intensity.

30.8 and 1 (n = 13) to C. auriga , 14.3 and 3 ± 2.8 (n = 14) to C. lunula , 1.9 and 1 (n = 52) M. flavolineatus .

Specimens deposited.

CHCM no. 631 (voucher) (1 vial, 1 specimen ♀) (from C. auriga ), CHCM no. 632 (voucher) (1 vial, 2 specimens ♂ ♀) (from M. flavolineatus ).

Remarks.

The presence of rounded pseudolabia, bifurcated deirids, and elongate tail with rounded tip, make this female similar to those of the genus Pseudoascarophis . Nematodes belonging to this genus were originally reported in K. cinerascens from off Japan and later found in Parupeneus chrysopleuron (Temminck & Schlegel) ( Mullidae ), Genypterus chilensis (Guichenot) ( Ophidiidae ), Kyphosus sectatrix (Linnaeus) ( Kyphosidae ) from China, Chile, Brazil, respectively ( Ko et al. 1985; Solov’eva 1996; Muñoz and George-Nascimento 2001; Pereira et al. 2013). Therefore, this find represents new host and geographical records. Since only one female was recovered, it is impossible to identify it to species.