Discovery of Parasites on Floating Cage Cultured Marine Fishes in Korea

Abstract

Parasites on cultured fish cause serious diseases and economic losses in marine aquaculture worldwide. In Korea, some of the major cultured fishes are found with severe infection of parasites which are reported here. Our survey conducted in 2011 at Tongyeong floating net-cage fish farm, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea resulted in the severe infection of parasitic copepods (Caligidae, Lernaeopodidae, Pennelidae) and monogeneans such as: Caligus sclerotinosus Roubal, Armitage & Rhode, 1983, Clavellotis sargi (Kurtz, 1877), Clavella sp. 1 and an unidentified monogenean from red seabream Pagrus major; Caligus latigenitalis Shiino, 1954, Cl. sargi and an unidentified monogenean from blackhead seabream Acanthopagrus schlegelii schlegelii; Lepeophtheirus elegans Gusev, 1951, Clavella parva Wilson, 1912 and Microcotyle sebastis Goto, 1894 from Korean rock fish Sebastes schlegelii; an unidentified monogenean from black rock fish Sebastes inermis; Caligus hoplognathi Yamaguti & Yamasu, 1951 and an unidentified monogenean from barred knifejaw Oplegnathus fasciatus, Peniculus minuticaudae Shiino, 1956 from file fish Thamnaconus modestus. Prevalence and mean intensity has been recorded. Attachment sites of the parasites were the body surface and the gill filaments. Caligus sclerotinosus and P. minuticaudae are considered as a new record to Korea. Some of the findings constitute a new host record.