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Journal of Parasitic Diseases: Official Organ of the Indian Society for Parasitology logoLink to Journal of Parasitic Diseases: Official Organ of the Indian Society for Parasitology
. 2013 Jun 9;39(2):206–210. doi: 10.1007/s12639-013-0320-7

Occurrence of cymothoid isopod from Miri, East Malaysian marine fishes

A Anand Kumar 1, Ganapathy Rameshkumar 2,✉, Samuthirapandian Ravichandran 2, E Rethna Priya 2, Ramasamy Nagarajan 1, Alex Goh Kwang Leng 3
PMCID: PMC4456561  PMID: 26064001

Abstract

To identify the isopod parasite, which has been recorded from Miri, East Malaysian marine fishes. During the present study, four cymothoid isopods are reported three genera, including Cymothoa eremita, Lobothorax typus, Nerocila longispina and Nerocila loveni. Nerocila longispina and N. loveni are also previously reported from Malaysia and two additional cymothoids C. eremita and L. typus are reported for the first record of Miri coast, East Malaysia. New hosts were identified for N. loveni on Chirocentrus dorab for the first time in the world fauna. The Parasitological indexes were calculated. The site of attachment of the parasites on their hosts was also observed. These parasites can cause the damage in gill, eye and internal organ including swim bladder. Marine fish parasitology is a rapidly developing field of aquatic science.

Keywords: Cymothoid, Isopod, Miri coast, Marine fishes, Occurrence

Introduction

Cymothoid isopods are a widespread family of blood-feeding crustaceans that parasitize both marine and freshwater fishes in South America, Asia, Africa and Australia (Trilles et al. 2011; Rameshkumar et al. 2011, 2012, 2013). They are responsible for causing large wounds, stunted growth and sometimes death in their hosts (Bunkley-Williams and Williams 1998). The parasites also affected the stability of their host requiring them to expend more energy just to keep upright (Östlund-Nilsson et al. 2005). These isopods are potentially economically important parasites as they have been shown to cause detrimental effects on fish in captivity including growth inhibition, anaemia and death in smaller fish (Adlard and Lester 1995). Parasitism by cymothoids has also been found to decrease fecundity in adults (Fogelman et al. 2009). Other sub-lethal effects include anemia (Adlard and Lester 1995) and tissue damage (Bunkley-Williams and Williams 1998) in hosts. Still several parts of the world where cymothoid fauna is poorly known or even completely unknown. There are currently relatively few studies on parasitic cymothoids in Malaysia. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to identify the isopod parasite, which has been recorded from Miri, East Malaysian marine fishes with parasitologic indexes, host species and geographical distribution are reported for each.

Materials and methods

Fishes were collected directly from the trawlers from landed at Miri (Latitude 4°29′38.72″N and Longitude 113°59′46.19″E) which is located East Malaysia (Fig. 1). They were examined for ectoparasites during March 2013. Standard methods were followed for collection, fixation and identification of parasites isopods were removed alive from the body surface and the buccal cavities of the fish hosts and immediately placed into 70 % ethanol. The taxonomy and fish names were updated according to Froese and Pauly (2011). The host species, the site of attachment and the geographical distribution of parasites were noted. The specimens of this cymothoid isopod is preserved in personal collection were deposited at the Curtin University, Sarawak campus, Miri. Their total length and fish length measurements are in centimetres were described in (Table 1). Fish host were not preserved.

Fig. 1.

Fig. 1

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Study area

Table 1.

Parasitological index of the cymothoids collected from Miri coast

Name of the parasites Host Location in the host Date of collection Size of the host (cm) Size of the parasite (cm) No of fishes examined No of parasites collected
Cymothoa eremita Psettodes erumei Buccal cavity 09.03.13 23.4 2.8 25 1
Lobothorax typus Trichiurus lepturus Buccal cavity 09.03.13 60.2 3.1 32 1
Nerocila longispina Terapon puta Body surface 09.03.13 8.2 2.3 68 2
Nerocila loveni Chirocentrus dorab Body surface 09.03.13 30.5 2.1 29 1
Nerocila loveni Otolithes ruber Body surface 09.03.13 13 2.4 43 2
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Results and discussion

The cymothoid isopods were removed from the buccal regions and body surface of the infected fishes (Fig. 2A–E). Cymothoid isopods were identified following protocols described by (Briinnich 1783; Bleeker 1857; Miers 1880; Bovallius 1887). During the present study, four cymothoid isopods are reported three genera, including Cymothoa eremita, Lobothorax typus, Nerocila longispina and Nerocila loveni. The positions of attachment of the parasites were also observed. Two cymothoid isopod genera, Cymothoa and Lobothorax from the buccal cavities in the fishes Psettodes erumei and Trichiurus lepturus. At the site of attachment, the cymothoid isopod Nerocila from the body surface of the infected fishes Terapon puta, Otolithes ruber and Chirocentrusdorab were identified. No tissue damage and no other effects were noticed on fish hosts. Already N. longispina and N. loveni are previously reported from Malaysia and two additional cymothoids C. eremita and L. typus are reported for the first record of Miri coast, East Malaysia. In the present study, a new host record of this cymothoid isopod N. loveni on the host C. dorab for the first time in the world fauna.

Fig. 2.

Fig. 2

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A Cymothoa eremita in Psettodes erumei. B Lobothorax typus in Trichiurus lepturus. C Nerocila longispina on Terapon puta. D Nerocila longispina on Otolithes ruber. E Nerocila loveni on Chirocentrus dorab

Cymothoa eremita is comparatively a large species. The parasite was attached in such a way that its broader posterior part was lodged in the wider portion of the floor of the buccal cavity and its narrow anterior part either located towards the mouth or protruding from the mouth (Rameshkumar et al. 2012). Moreover, with the exception of C. eremita, the validity of some of these species must be considered questionable, details of their morphology being until now poorly known or unknown (Bowman and Tareen 1983; Trilles 1994). Trilles (1994) suggested synonymising C. limbata with C. eremita and after reviewing the type of drawings of C. limbata, this synonymisation seems viable but a personal observation of the holotype would be necessary for absolute confidence in this regard. Cymothoa eremita is very widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific. Accepting Trilles (1994) synonymy, the distribution of this species ranged from Japan through the Pescadores, the Philippines and Indonesia to the Cape York Peninsula, Australia and East to the Society Islands. It has been also reported from Singapore, Malaysia and Bangkok, Ceylon, Indian Peninsula from Madras to Bombay, Mauritius, Seychelles and Red sea. Its range is extended to Miri coast. It has been recorded on several fish previousely, Arothron leopardus, Hime japonica, Pampus argenteus, Pampus cinereus, Parastromateus niger, Peprilus paru, Psettodes erumei, Siganus canaliculatus and Sphyraena obtusata, were recorded by several authors as compiled by Trilles (1994).

Lobothorax typus remains one of the more poorly known genera of the Cymothoidae. These specimens agree well with the description provided by Bleeker (1857) from Batavia (Jakarta). Lobothorax typus is widely distributed Jakarta, Java, Indonesia (as Batavia, Bleeker 1857; Schioedte and Meinert 1883), Ubay, Philippines (Schioedte and Meinert 1883; Trilles 2008), South China Sea (Yu and Bruce 2006), Parangipettai, Southeast coast of India (Rameshkumar et al. 2013). Now here is extended to the coast of Miri from the previous record, the hosts were Lepturacanthus savala (Bleeker, 1857) and Trichiurus lepturus (Rameshkumar et al. 2013). In the present study, this species was reported from the same fish in the southeast coast.

Nerocila is a large genus of the family Cymothoidae including at least 65 species living attached on the skin or on the fins of fishes. Until now few studies were performed on Nerocila genus collected from marine fishes (Rameshkumar et al. 2011, 2013; Trilles et al. 2013). Nerocila longispina belongs to the Emphylia group of species (Bowman and Tareen 1983; Bruce and Harrison-Nelson 1988). Nerocila longispina differs from Nerocila sundaica in having the lateral margin of uropod endopod finely serrate, the coxae 5–7 more strongly angled away from the lateral margin of the body, the posterolateral angles of pereonite 7 weakly produced instead backward into a pointed process as in Nerocila sundaica (Rameshkumar et al. 2011). Previously recorded from the two hosts are identified: Therapon puta and Otholites ruber (Rameshkumar et al. 2011). In the present study, N. longispina isopods parasites are reported in a same host species of are Terapon puta and Otolithes ruber along Miri coast. Nerocila longispina, were collected from the body surface, on the head, on the pectoral fin or from the caudal peduncle of hosts (Trilles et al. 2013). However, in the present investigation N. longispina was attached on the opercular region of Terapon puta and Otolithes ruber, distributed to Malaysian region (Miers 1880; Bruce and Harrison-Nelson 1988; Malabar, Java (Ellis 1981), Vedaranyam coast, Southeastern India (Rameshkumar et al. 2011; Trilles et al. 2013).

Nerocila loveni (Bovallius 1887) can be distinguished from N. depressa by having the coxae and pereonite posterolateral extensions bent dorsally and expressed laterally rather than posteriorly (Bruce and Harrison-Nelson 1988), distributed in the northern central Indo- Pacific region: Java coasts (Bovallius 1887), Batavia and Siam gulf (Nierstrasz 1915, 1931; Trilles 1979, 1994), Singapore, Thailand, Borneo and Sarawak (Bruce and Harrison-Nelson 1988), Nagapattinam, Southeast coast of India (Rameshkumar et al. 2013). Nerocila loveni, were attached on the caudal peduncle or on the caudal fin of the fishes (Rameshkumar et al. 2013; Trilles et al. 2013). But in the present study the site of attachment, the N. loveni from the body surface of the infected fish C. dorab were identified. Until now only recorded from Leiognathus sp. (Bruce and Harrison-Nelson 1988). In the present study collected from the body surface of C. dorab are new host for the world fauna.

Cymothoid isopods have been studied for many years. They are found in various parts of the buccal region and fish body, including internal organs, gills even in fins. These parasites can cause the damage in gill, eye and internal organ including swim bladder. Marine fish parasitology is a rapidly developing field of aquatic science. Parasitic isopods are fairly common Crustacean infestations of wild marine fish species of Malaysia (Bruce and Harrison-Nelson 1988). In this study, four Cymothoid species were observed in Malaysian marine fishes. This study revealed for the first time the presence of two C. eremita and L. typus species from Miri Coast of Malaysia. The distribution of parasitic isopods is closely related to the occurence and ecology of their hosts.

Acknowledgments

The first author wishes to express his gratefulness to Curtin Sarawak Research Institute Academic Grant (CSRI 1011: Ramasamy Nagarajan).

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