Metazoan parasites of Mycteroperca bonaci (Epinephelidae) off the coast of Yucatán, Mexico, with a checklist of its parasites in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean region

Abstract

Samples of black grouper, Mycteroperca bonaci, totalling 161 specimens, were collected at 3 protected natural areas in Yucatán, Mexico: Reserva de la Biosfera Ría Celestún (RBRC), Reserva Estatal de Dzilam (RED), and the Parque Nacional Arrecife Alacranes (PNAA). In this study, we present the results of a survey of the metazoan parasite fauna of these fishes, together with a checklist of the metazoan parasites recorded previously from black grouper in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Twenty five taxa were found in the survey (21 adults and 4 larval stages). Nineteen taxa represent new host records for M. bonaci, increasing the total number of parasite taxa recorded for this host species to 59 in the geographic area referred above. Differences in species composition and infection parameters of each group of parasites are presented and discussed.