2022/09/09 by Felipe Bisaggio Pereira, Felipe B. Pereira, David González-Solís +1 · 10 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Biodiversity #Biology #Crustacean biology and ecology #Ecology #Fish <Actinopterygii> #Fishery #Lutjanidae #Marine Biology and Ecology Research #Parasite Biology and Host Interactions #Perciformes #Sciaenidae #Serranidae #Taxon #Taxonomic rank #Zoology
paper · open access · doi:10.1017/s0031182022001287
published in Parasitology 149(14), 1928-1941 (Cambridge University Press)
openalex publication_date 2022/09/09 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Abstract The ichthyofauna of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts off the American continent is very rich. Consequently, a high biodiversity of nematodes parasitizing these vertebrates is also expected. Currently, data on nematode parasites of marine fish off the Americas are fragmented. A review of all adult nematode species reported parasitizing marine fish from off the American continent is herein presented, as well as comments on their patterns of diversity, life cycles and advances in the taxonomic and phylogenetic knowledge. A total of 209 valid species, 19 species inquirendae and 6 dubious records have been recorded, the majority from the fish taxa Eupercaria and Perciformes. The families Sciaenidae, Serranidae and Lutjanidae, as well as the tropical and temperate Atlantic waters, exhibited the highest records of parasitic nematodes. The Cucullanidae, Philometridae and Cystidicolidae were the most speciose families of nematodes, which may be related to technological advances and relatively recent efforts of taxonomists, resulting in description of new taxa and the resolution of taxonomic problems. Numerous taxonomic questions still need resolution and, even though genetic data have been important for this process, the database is very scarce. This is the first review on all currently known nematode species parasitizing marine fish off the Americas and may serve as an important basis of reference for future approaches on these organisms.