Haliotrema Abaddon N. SP. (Monogenoidea: Dactylogyridae) from the Gills of Wild and Maricultured West Australian Dhufish Glaucosoma Hebraicum (Teleostei: Glaucosomatidae), in Australia

Haliotrema abaddon n. sp. (Dactylogyridae) is described from the gills of West Australian dhufish Glaucosoma hebraicum (Teleostei: Glaucosomatidae), from the Indian Ocean near Fremantle, Western Australia. The parasite is recorded from cultured dhufish and from a major portion of the known geographic distribution of its host. In cultured dhufish, H. abaddon causes branchitis and hyperplasia and metaplasia of the lamellar epithelial cells and may be a limiting factor in the development of an economically feasible mariculture industry. Comparable prevalences and densities of the parasite on wild and cultured dhufish were observed. In heavily infested captive fish, clusters of eggs (egg strands) appear to restrict blood flow to localized regions of the gills as a result of entanglement of egg filaments with secondary gill lamellae. Hatching of oncomiracidia occurs in 7–10 days at 20–25 C.