Larval stages of gnathiids (Crustacea, Isopoda, Gnathiidae) are temporary ectoparasites on comercial fish in Mazatlán, Sinaloa
Keywords:
crustacean, Mazatlán, ectoparasite, Mexican PacificAbstract
The objective of this work was to determine the presence of gnathiids in commercially important fish in Mazatlán Bay, and to elaborate a photographic record of the two larval stages of the temporary parasitic isopods of the Gnathiidae family. The reviewed fish were provided by fishermen from the Playa Norte cooperative and Isla de la Piedra in Mazatlan. The record was made of the parasitic larvae found in Balistes polyleptis, Diapterus peruvianus, Ephinephelus labriformis, and Hoplopargus guenterii. Further knowledge about the biodiversity of adult gnathiids and their role as temporary larval parasites of fish, as well as an integral part of the benthic food web in the Mexican Pacific, is needed.
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