Morphological and Epidemiological Studies on Marine Fishes Ectoparasitic Crustacea from the Red Sea

Abstract

The present study have been done to fulfil its main objectives, which are mainly isolating and identifying the parasitic crustacea infesting fish collected from the Red Sea. Also another aim is describing the little known species and identifying new species in this area. The Histopathological effects of these Crustacean parasites on the site of infection, the gills, of fish was studied and the prevalence and intensity of infection of the more frequently occurring parasite species were analysed relative to host-density, size, sex and seasonality. Gills, skin, fins, anus, eye as well as nose were carefully examined and the body weight, the total length and the sex of •each fish were recorded for more than 1500 fish belonging to eight fish families over 18 month from March1997 till

September 1998. examined for evidence of external parasites.

Eight crustacean parasites were collected from the gills of nine fish species from the Red Sea including, five copepods (Anuretes heckelii, Anuretes plectorhynci, Hatschekia plectropomi, Hatschekia sp.n. and Ergasilus lizae) and, three lsopods (Anilocra leptosoma, /rona Nanodies and Praniza larva). Some of these isopods had previously been recorded from the Red Sea area, but the copepods collected and identified in this study have not been recorded before from the fish species of the study area. A new Hatschekia species has been isolated and,identified from the gills of the fish species Cephalophalis miniata and has given the name of Hatschekia suezei Ghobashy, 2000 on the bases of the destiny of habitat.

The isopods Pi"aniza larva was the most dominant crustacean parasite recorded on the gills and the Branchial chamber cavities of five fish species (Tylosurus crocodilus, Lethrinus nebulosus, Lutjanus sp., Plectorhyncus schotaf and Parrotfish).