Heterocotyle chinensis (Monogenea: Monocotylidae) from the Whip Stingray Dasyatis akajei in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan

Abstract

Heterocotyle chinensis Timofeeva, 1983 (Monogenea: Monocotylidae) is reported from the gills of the whip stingray Dasyatis akajei (Muller and Henle, 1841) in the Seto Inland Sea, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, as a new country record. A morphological description and illustrations are provided, along with an emended key to the species of Heterocotyle. The present monogenean most likely has some tolerance for low salinity because one of the two infected fish examined was collected in brackish water.