Parasitic copepods (Crustacea, Hexanauplia) on fishes from the lagoon flats of Palmyra Atoll, Central Pacific

Abstract

We surveyed copepods parasitic on the fishes at Palmyra, a remote atoll in the Central Indo-Pacific faunal region. In total, we collected 849 individual fish, representing 44 species, from the intertidal lagoon flats at Palmyra and recovered 17 parasitic copepod species. The parasitic copepods were:OrbitacolaxwilliamsionMulloidichthysflavolineatus;AnuretesserratusonAcanthurusxanthopterus;CaligusconfususonCarangoidesferdau,Carangoidesorthogrammus,Caranxignobilis,Caranxmelampygus, andCaranxpapuensis;CaliguskapuhilionChaetodonaurigaandChaetodonlunula;CaliguslaticaudusonRhinecanthusaculeatus,Pseudobalistesflavimarginatus,M.flavolineatus,Upeneustaeniopterus,Chrysipteraglauca, andEpinephalusmerra;CaligusmutabilisonLutjanusfulvusandLutjanusmonostigma;CaligusrandallionC.ignobilis;Caligussp. onL.fulvus;CaritusserratusonChanoschanos;LepeophtheiruslewisionA.xanthopterus;LepeophtheirusuluusonC.ignobilis;DissonussimilisonArothronhispidus;Nemesissp. onCarcharhinusmelanopterus;HatschekialongiabdominalisonA.hispidus;HatschekiabicaudataonChaetodonaurigaandChaetodonlunula;KroyerialongicaudaonC.melanopterusandLernanthropussp. onKyphosuscinerascens. All copepod species reported here have been previously reported from the Indo-Pacific but represent new geographical records for Palmyra, demonstrating large-scale parasite dispersion strategies.