First record of Cybicola buccatus (Copepoda: Pseudocycnidae) in Scomberomorus brasiliensis (Scombridae) in northeastern Brazil coast

The Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus brasiliensis is an epipelagic species with coastal habits and is a fundamental part of artisanal fishing along the Brazilian coast as a species with high economic value. The present work aimed to report the first occurrence of Cybicola buccatus (Copepoda) in S. brasiliensis in northeastern Brazil. The fish were purchased at the public terminal in Aracaju/SE between March 2016 and June 2019 and transported to the laboratory for identification, necropsy and parasite collection. Of the sixteen fish analysed, six were parasitized by C. buccatus with a prevalence of 37.50%, an mean intensity of 1.33 and an mean abundance of 0.50. This occurrence is a new record of this ectoparasite for the locality, as it had not yet been reported in S. brasiliensis on the northeastern coast of Brazil. The results presented here contribute to the existing knowledge about the distribution of this copepod and the parasitic fish fauna along the Brazilian coast.