Postoncomiracidia of Dionchus sp. are described from specimens collected from the skin of 2 blacktip sharks Carcharhinus limbatus, captured in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The parasites resemble nonciliated oncomiracidia hatched from eggs laid by Dionchus sp. on gills of a cobia Rachycentron canadum and adults of Dionchus remorae that were collected from gills of a common sharksucker Echeneis naucrates, captured in association with a third blacktip shark. The hamuli of the postoncomiracidia were morphologically similar to those of adult D. remorae. This is the first report of dionchids from an elasmobranch and from a location other than the gills. These findings support the idea that some dionchid oncomiracidia colonize the skin of sharks or other aquatic vertebrates that sponsor remoras, prior to transferring to other remoras and maturing.
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April 2000
Research Article|
April 01 2000
DIONCHUS POSTONCOMIRACIDIA (MONOGENEA: DIONCHIDAE) FROM THE SKIN OF BLACKTIP SHARKS, CARCHARHINUS LIMBATUS (CARCHARHINIDAE)
Stephen A. Bullard;
Stephen A. Bullard
Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, Department of Coastal Sciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, P.O. Box 703, East Beach Drive, Ocean Springs, Mississippi 39564
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George W. Benz;
George W. Benz
Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, Department of Coastal Sciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, P.O. Box 703, East Beach Drive, Ocean Springs, Mississippi 39564
*Tennessee Aquarium and Southeast Aquatic Research Institute, P.O. Box 11048, One Broad Street, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401.
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Jeffrey S. Braswell
Jeffrey S. Braswell
Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, Department of Coastal Sciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, P.O. Box 703, East Beach Drive, Ocean Springs, Mississippi 39564
†Fiber Engineering Technology Center Analytical Services Laboratory, Dupont, 4501 North Access Road, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37415.
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J Parasitol (2000) 86 (2): 245–250.
Citation
Stephen A. Bullard, George W. Benz, Jeffrey S. Braswell; DIONCHUS POSTONCOMIRACIDIA (MONOGENEA: DIONCHIDAE) FROM THE SKIN OF BLACKTIP SHARKS, CARCHARHINUS LIMBATUS (CARCHARHINIDAE). J Parasitol 1 April 2000; 86 (2): 245–250. doi: https://doi.org/10.1645/0022-3395(2000)086[0245:DPMDFT]2.0.CO;2
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