New host and geographic distribution of Phyllodistomum thunni (Trematoda, Gorgoderidae)

The trematode Phyllodistomum thunni is recorded here for the first time in the marine fish Macrodon ancylodon (Perciformes, Sciaenidae), king weakfish, from the Brazilian coast, South Atlantic. The fish were caught in the region of Valença, Bahia, Brazil, between August 2009 and May 2010, to study its parasite fauna. Seventy-four fish were examined and the kidney ducts of 11 of them were found to be parasitized by this trematode. The parasite prevalence was 14.8%; the mean intensity was 2.7 parasites per fish and the infrapopulations ranged from 1 to 5 parasites. Phyllodistomum thunni was originally described in yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares, from the Gulf of Guinea. Therefore, the geographic distribution and the host range of gorgoderid trematode have been expanded.