A new host record of Ceratothoa oxyrrhynchaena (Isopoda: Cymothoidae) infesting a sandperch Parapercis aurantica from Suruga Bay, central Japan

Abstract

Ceratothoa oxyrrhynchaena Koelbel, 1879 is a parasitic isopod of the family Cymothoidae, previously recorded from more than 20 fish species in 12 families. In this study, a male cymothoid isopod was found in the buccal cavity of a sandperch, Parapercis aurantica (Döderlein, 1884), collected from Suruga Bay, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Based on morphological characteristics and DNA barcoding (mitochondrial COI partial sequence), the specimen was identified as C. oxyrrhynchaena. Parapercis aurantica (Pinguipedidae) represents a new host for C. oxyrrhynchaena, providing additional insight into the host utilization of this species.