NEMATODA 



By ASA C. Chandler, Rice Institute 



Remarkably few nematodes, either adults or 

 larvae, have been identified in fishes or other 

 animals of the Gulf. The only work done on them 

 known to the writer is Linton's work at Dry Tor- 

 tugas (1907-1909) and my own work on fishes of 

 Galveston Bay (1935a). In addition, a single 

 species of oxyurid, Lauroiravassoiyuris travassosi, 

 was described by Perez Vigueras (1938) from a 

 teleost on tlie north coast of Cuba. 



Linton called attention to the fact that nema- 

 todes were sparingl}' represented, as were Acantho- 

 cephala, in the fishes he examined at Dry Tortugas 

 as compared with the large numbers, particularly 

 of encysted immature forms, in fishes at Woods 

 Hole, Massachusetts. In the Gulf fishes immature 

 encysted forms were found in only 7 of 32 species 

 examined and in small numbers in all except the 

 yellow-fin grouper, Mycteroperca venenosa, whereas 

 in the north such nematodes were found in the 

 viscera of a large number of species of fishes, often 

 in great numbers. Linton found adult nematodes 

 in only 6 species of fish, "(1 elasmobranch and 5 

 teleosts)" but except for the species found in the 

 stomach of a nurse shark only 1 or 2 specimens 

 were found in a host. 



Chandler found nematodes, like Acanthoce- 

 phala, to be relatively more frequent in the inshore 

 fishes of Galveston Bay than in the oceanic and 

 reef fishes examined by Linton, but they could 

 certainly not be considered abundant, either in 

 species or individuals. In 23 species of teleosts 

 studied 3 adult nematodes were found, each 

 represented by only 1 or 2 specimens in single 

 host individuals. Nine species of immature nema- 

 todes were found, but only two, both belonging 

 to the genus Contracaecum, occurred frequently in 

 their particular hosts and then in only moderate 

 numbers. Seamster (1950), in a personal com- 

 munication, reported finding 1 nematode infesta- 

 tion in 30 fish belonging to 16 genera from Corpus 

 Christi Bay; this nematode was not identified. 



Most of the nematodes found by Linton have 

 been inadequately described and have not been 

 given specific names. The larval forms found by 

 Chandler were all described as fully as the material 

 available would permit and were all tentatively 

 designated new species until the adults become 

 known. 



ASCARIDATA 



Family OXYURIDAE 



Lnurolravassoxyuris travassosi Perez Vigueras, 1938. 



Host: Holacanthus tricolor, rock beauty; Havana (Perez 

 Vigueras). 



Family ASCARIDIDAE 



Acanlhocheilus sp. Linton, 1909. 



Host: Gingtymosloma cirratum, nurse shark; Dry Tor- 

 tugas (Linton). 

 Amphicaecuni parvum Cliandler, 1935a. 



Host: Im., Dorosoma cepedianum, gizzard shad; Galves- 

 ton Bay (Chandler). 

 Contracaecum chaunaxi Olsen, 1952. 



Host: Chaunax sp.; Dry Tortugas (Olsen). 

 Contracaecum coUieri Chandler, 1935a. 



Hosts: Im., Cyprinodon variegatus, broad killifish, Para- 

 lichthys lethostigmus, southern flounder; Galveston 

 Bay (Chandler). 

 Contracaecum histiophori Yamaguti, 1935. 



Host: Istiophorus americanus; Florida coast (Olsen). 

 Contracaecum ogcocephali Olsen, 1952. 



Host: Ogcocephalus radiatus; Dry Tortugas (Olsen). 

 Contracaecum robustum Chandler, 1935a. 



Hosts: Im., Mugil cephalus, mullet, Funduius sp. 

 (probably grandis), common killifish; Galveston Bay 

 (Chandler). 

 Goezia minula Chandler, 1935a. 



Host: Ba(/re manna, sea catfish; Galveston Bay (Chan- 

 dler). 

 Heterotyphlum eurycheiium Olsen, 1952. 



Host: Promicrops itaiara; Dry Tortugas (Olsen). 

 Rhaphidascaris anchoviellae Chandler, 1935a. 



Hosts: Im., Anchoa epsetus, striped anchovy, Menidia 

 berrylina peninsulae, silversides; Galveston Bay 

 (Chandler). Immature ascarids in small numbers 

 recorded by Linton (1907) from the following hosts 

 at Dry Tortugas: Sphyraena barracuda, Haemulon 

 sciurus, H. flavolineaium, H. macroslomum, Mycter- 

 operca bonaci, M. venenosa, Ocyurus chrysurus, 

 Epinephetus siriaius, and Hepsetia stipes. 



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