Parasitic copepods from two species of commercial fishes collected off Iraq, with description of Hatschekia shari n. sp.

Abstract

Two species of parasitic copepods, including one new species, are described based on specimens collected from off Basrah, Iraq (Arabian Gulf). Hatschekia shari n. sp. (Siphonostomatoida: Hatschekiidae) was found from the gill filaments of the spangled emperor Lethrinus nebulosus (Forsskål) (Perciformes: Lethrinidae). The new species is characterised by the following characters in the female: a rectangular cephalothorax with dorsal frame composed of two short and one long bifid longitudinal bars, connecting to one short and one long latitudinal bars; elongate, cylindrical trunk without posterolateral processes or lobes; absence of parabasal papillae; and antennae bearing middle segments without narrow median part and with terminal claws without basal conical processes. Bactrochondria formosana Ho, Lin & Liu, 2011 (Cyclopoida: Chondracanthidae) was found on the gill filaments of the largescale tonguesole Cynoglossus arel (Bloch & Schneider) (Pleuronectiformes: Cynoglossidae). Close comparison of the specimens of B. formosana collected from off Iraq with the original description revealed some differences in elements and ornamentations on the body and appendages. Our finding of B. formosana represents not only a new record from the Indian Ocean but also from a new host.