Diversity and Host Associations of Parasitic Isopods (Isopoda: Cymothoidae) from Marine Fishes of southeast coast of India

A total of 15 species of parasitic isopods were identified belonging to six genera viz., Cymothoa eremita Brunnich, 1783 Host: Parastromateus niger (Bloch, 1795), C. indica Schioedte and Meinert, 1884 Host: Ambassis ambassis (Lacepède, 1802), Joryma brachysoma (Pillai, 1964) Host: Ilisha melastoma (Bloch & Schneider, 1801), J. hilsae Rameshkumar, Ravichandran & Jean-Paul Trilles, 2011 Host: Pellona ditchela Valenciennes, 1847, Mothocya plagulophora (Haller, 1880) Host: Hemiramphus far (Forsskål, 1775), M. renardi (Bleeker, 1857) Host: Strongylura leiura (Bleeker, 1850), M. collettei Bruce, 1986 Host: Tylosurus crocodilus crocodilus (Péron & Lesueur, 1821), M. karobran Bruce, 1986 Host: T. crocodilus crocodilus (Péron & Lesueur, 1821), Nerocila phaiopleura Bleeker, 1857 Hosts: Sardinella longiceps Valenciennes, 1847 , Chirocentrus nudus Swainson, 1839 and Rastrelliger kanagurta (Cuvier, 1816), N. sundaica Bleeker, 1857 Host: Sardinella fimbriata (Valenciennes, 1847), N. sigani Bowman and Tareen, 1983 Host: Siganus canaliculatus (Park, 1797) , N. loveni (Bovallius, 1887) Host: Opisthopterus tardoore (Cuvier, 1829), Norileca indica (H. Milne Edwards, 1840) Host: Selar crumenophthalmus (Bloch, 1793), N. triangulata (Richardson, 1910) Host: R. kanagurta (Cuvier, 1816), Ryukyua circularis (Pillai, 1954) Host: Amblygaster sirm (Walbaum, 1792). Most of the parasitic isopods are not the host specific. However, they are specific to infestation locations (gill chamber, buccal cavity and body). Pathological effects on the host species also differ according to the site of attachment.