Parasites of some fishes native to Arizona and New Mexico

A total of 22 parasitic species (representing 18 genera), were encountered during the examination of 1,695 fishes representing 12 native species from 13 localities in Arizona and New Mexico. The parasites include six Protozoa: Ichthyophthirius multifiliis Fouquet, 1876, Myxobolus catostomi Fantham et al., 1939, M. discrepans Kudo, 1920, M. macrocapsularis Reuss, 1906, M. nodularis Southwell and Prashad, 1918, M. oblongus; six Trematoda: Tetraonchus sp., Clinostomum marginatum Rud., 1819, Ornithodiplostomum ptychocheilus Dubois, 1936, Plagioporus sp., Crepidostomum cooperi Hopkins, 1931, and C. farionis (of Müller, 1784) Nicoll, 1909; four Cestoda: Ligula intestinalis Linnaeus, 1758, Isoglaridacris bulbocirrus Mackiewicz, 1965, Ophiotaenia critica Mpoame and Landers, 1981, Proteocephalus sp.; one Acantocephala: Neoechinorhynchus sp.; four Nematoda: Dacnitoides sp., Camallanus sp., Rhabdochona decaturensis Gustafson, 1949, Metabronema salvelini (Fujita, 1922); and one Crustacea: Lernaea cyprinacea Linnaeus, 1761. Seven of these parasites are belived to represent undescribed species and almost all the present parasite reports constitute new host and locality records. Patterns of distribution in space (host and locality specificities) are discussed. Infection levels of all parasites encountered were independent of host sex, suggesting that males and females of the fishes studied are very similar in feeding behavior and habitat selection. Although a number of parasitic species reported may cause damage to individual infected hosts, I. multifiliis seems to be the only of special pathogenic importance for Arizona native fishes.