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First Report of Lappetascaris lutjani Rasheed, 1965 (Nematoda, Ascaridoidea, Anisakidae) Parasitizing Trachipterus arawatae (Pisces, Lampridiformes) on the Atlantic Coast of Brazil

Vol. 97(1): 93-94, January 2002

Joaquim Júlio Vicente, Michael Maia Mincarone/*, Roberto Magalhães Pinto/⁺

Laboratório de Helmintos Parasitos de Vertebrados, Departamento de Helmintologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz, Av. Brasil 4365, 21045-900 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil *Museu Oceanográfico do Vale do Itajaí, Univali, Itajaí, SC, Brasil

New host and geographical records are reported for the nematode Lappetascaris lutjani Rasheed, 1965, parasitizing the marine fish Trachipterus arawatae Clark, 1881 in Brazilian waters. Morphometric data and illustrations of the parasites are included.

Key words: Nematoda - Lappetascaris lutjani - Pisces - Trachipterus arawatae - Brazil

The genus Lappetascaris was erected by Rasheed (1965), to contain the anisakid nematode L. lutjani, recovered from the intestine of the marine fishes Lutjanus sp. [Lutjanidae] and Tenualosa ilisha (Hamilton, 1822) (= Hilsa ilisha) [Clupeidae], captured on the Karachi Coast, Pakistan. Additionally, the species was reported in India parasitizing Kurtus indicus Bloch, 1786 [Kurtidae] (De et al. 1978), Ilisha feligera (Valenciennes, 1847) [Clupeidae] (Soota & Dey-Sarkar 1980), and Pellona ditchela Valenciennes, 1847 [Clupeidae] (De 1990).

The present paper reports a new host and a new locality for L. lutjani.

Morphometric data are based on four adult specimens, two males and two females. Processing of nematodes for study was in accordance with Pinto et al. (2001). Measurements are in millimeters (mm), unless otherwise indicated. Figures were made with the aid of a drawing tube connected to an Olympus microscope and the photomicrograph with a Axiophot Differential Interference Contrast (DIC) system.

Lappetascaris lutjani Rasheed, 1965
(Figs 1-4)

Body slender, brownish yellow in color, and attenuated at the anterior extremity. Cuticle thick. Head heavily cuticularized appearing as a mass of small cuticular thickenings (Fig. 4) rather than a three-lipped structure (Fig. 1). Lateral alae 0.14 wide.

Males: body 5.4-5.5 cm long, 0.26-0.37 wide. Nerve ring and excretory pore 0.42-0.49 and 0.49-0.56 from anterior end, respectively. Esophagus 6.79-8.40 long. Intestinal caecum and esophageal appendix, 6.37-6.44 and 3.01-3.94 long, respectively. Ventriculus 0.10-0.12 long. Spicules 3.92-4.00 long. Sixteen to seventeen pairs of caudal papillae. Cloacal aperture 0.56-0.63 from posterior extremity.

Females: body 7.5-8.5 cm long, 0.68-0.84 wide. Nerve ring and excretory pore 0.49 and 0.63 from anterior end, respectively. Esophagus 8.47 long. Intestinal caecum and esophageal appendix, 6.58 and 3.08-4.20 long, respectively. Ventriculus 0.12 long. Vulvar aperture in the middle region of body. Rectum 0.36-0.56 long. Anus 0.58-0.77 from posterior end.

Taxonomic summary
Host: Trachipterus arawatae Clark, 1881, Lampridiformes, Trachipteridae; common names: dealfish, "peixe-fita" _ New host record
Voucher host deposited: Museu Oceanográfico do Vale do Itajaí (MOVI) no.16160, female, 1,680 mm long, SL (Standard length)
Site of infection: stomach

Locality: Atlantic Coast (29°22'S, 47°38'W, 50 m depth), State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil _ New locality record

Specimens deposited: Helminthological Collection of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (CHIOC) no. 34435 (wet material) and MOVI no. 16663 (wet material).

According to Mincarone et al. (2000), the host species T. arawatae has been recorded in Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Réunion Island and Atlantic coast of South America.

The present results add new data to previous surveys of Brazilian fish nematodes (Vicente et al. 1985, Vicente & Pinto 1999).

REFERENCES

Figs. 1-3 | Fig. 4

⁺Corresponding author and research fellow CNPq, Proc. no. 300. 374/80-1. Fax:+55-21-2260.4866. E-mail: mpinto@ioc.fiocruz.br

Received 22 May 2001

Accepted 2 July 2001