A new record of Lagodon rhomboides (Pisciformes: Sparidae) as a host of Cymothoa excisa (Isopoda: Cymothoidae) in the northwestern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula

Abstract

This study reports for the first time the pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides, as a host of the isopod Cymothoaexcisa, and shows the influence of parasitism in the morphometric growth of the pinfish obtained from La Carbonera,a tropical coastal lagoon on the northwestern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. A total of 448 pinfish werecollected between April 2009 and March 2010. Twenty-eight individuals were found to host the parasite, with aprevalence of 6.2%. Additionally, we obtained the length-weight relationships (W= a Ltb) between individuals withparasites (a= 0.0005; b= 2.31) and those without (a= 0.00003; b= 2.91). Parameters a and b differed between groups(p< 0.05). The population of L. rhomboides is affected by the presence of the isopod parasite, C. excisa; differencesin the length-weight relationship indicates that C. excisa is a risk factor for this and other fish species in the studyarea.