Volume 47/Number 1/Abstract 03

Acta Parasitologica, Vol.47, No. 1, 2002, 14-19
Curran Stephen S. (1), Overstreet Robin M. (1)*, Font William F. (2) - Thometrema lotzi sp. nov. (Digenea, Derogenidae) from freshwater and brackish water fishes of Louisiana and Mississippi (USA).

(1) Department of Coastal Sciences, College of Marine Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Ocean Springs, Mississippi 39566, USA, e-mail: stephen.curran@usm.edu; (2) Department of Biological Sciences, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, Louisiana 70402, USA, e-mail: wffont@selu.edu

*Corresponding author: Department of Coastal Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, P.O. Box 7000 (703 East Beach Boulevard, 39564), Ocean Springs, Mississippi 39566, USA, robin.overstreet@usm.edu, Business telephone: 228 872 4243

ABSTRACT

Thometrema lotzi sp. nov. (Derogenidae, Halipeginae) is described from the stomach of various centrarchids (Lepomis gulosus, type host; L. macrochirus, L. punctatus, L. megalotis, L. microlophus, and Micropterus salmoides) as well as the Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus), yellow bass (Morone mississippiensis), channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), and spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus). It infects these fishes in freshwater and brackish habitats in coastal Mississippi and Louisiana (USA). This represents the first report of a species in Thometrema from North America. Thometrema lotzi may be characterised by having an exceptionally elongated sinus organ 190-402 mm long by 63-145 mm wide. As with the other members of the genus, it has a distinct portion of the hermaphroditic duct proximal to and separate from the indistinct sinus sac. Thometrema lotzi is conspecific with Genarchella sp. of Fiorillo and Font (1996, 1999).

KEY WORDS: Thometrema lotzi sp. nov., Halipeginae, Derogenidae, Digenea, fishes, zoogeography, USA

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