Marine leech, Stibarobdella macrothela (Schmarda, 1861) (Hirudinea, piscicolidae), parasitic on the whaler shark, Carcharhinus Brachyurus (Günther, 1870) (Chondrichthyes, Carcharhinidae), in Southern Brazilian waters

A sanguessuga marinha, Stibarobdella macrothela (Schmarda, 1861) (Hirudinea, Piscicolidae), parasita do tubarão-baleeiro, Carcharhinus brachyurus (Günther, 1870) (Chondrichthyes, Carcharhinidae), em águas do sul do Brasil

MARINE LEECH, Stibarobdella macrothela (SCHMARDA, 1861) (HIRUDINEA, PISCICOLIDAE), PARASITIC ON THE WHALER SHARK, Carcharhinus brachyurus (GÜNTHER, 1870) (CHONDRICHTHYES, CARCHARHINIDAE), IN SOUTHERN BRAZILIAN WATERS

SOTO, J. M. R.

Museu Oceanográfico do Vale do Itajaí, MOVI, Universidade do Vale do Itajaí, UNIVALI, Rua Uruguai, 458, C.P. 360, CEP 88302-202, Itajaí, SC, Brazil

Correspondence to: Jules Marcelo Rosa Soto, Museu Oceanográfico do Vale do Itajaí, MOVI, Universidade do Vale do Itajaí, UNIVALI, Rua Uruguai, 458, C.P. 360, CEP 88302-202, Itajaí, SC, Brazil

Received August 26, 1999 ¾ Accepted January 31, 2000 ¾ Distributed November 30, 2000

(With 1 figure)

ABSTRACT

The presence of the sea leech, Stibarobdella macrothela (Schmarda, 1861) (Hirudinea, Piscicolidae), is marked in the south coast of Brazil, based on the single specimen with 67 mm (CT), collected in the intergill ventral region of a whaler shark, Carcharhinus brachyurus (Günther, 1870) (Chondrichtyes, Carcharhinidae), adult male with about 2 m (CT), being treated of the first registrations of S. macrothela in the Southwest Atlantic and the parasitic association with C. brachyurus.

Key words: Stibarobdella macrothela, Carcharhinus brachyurus, Hirudinea, Chondrichthyes, ectoparasitism.

RESUMO

A sanguessuga marinha, Stibarobdella macrothela (Schmarda, 1861) (Hirudinea, Piscicolidae), parasita do tubarão-baleeiro, Carcharhinus brachyurus (Günther, 1870) (Chondrichthyes, Carcharhinidae), em águas do sul do Brasil

Neste estudo é assinalada a presença da sanguessuga marinha, Stibarobdella macrothela (Schmarda, 1861) (Hirudinea, Piscicolidae), na costa sul do Brasil, com base em um único espécime de 67 mm (CT), coletado na região ventral interbranquial de um tubarão-baleeiro, Carcharhinus brachyurus (Günther, 1870) (Chondrichthyes, Carcharhinidae), macho-adulto, com cerca de 2 m (CT); tratando-se dos primeiros registros de S. macrothela no sudoeste do Atlântico e de associação parasitária com C. brachyurus.

Palavras-chave: Stibarobdella macrothela, Carcharhinus brachyurus, Hirudinea, Chondrichthyes, ectoparasitismo.

Marine leeches of the Brazilian waters are still relatively unstudied. The unique consistent work was made by Ringuelet (1944) that include hirudineans of the Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. On April 1995, a adult, male, whaler shark (~ 2 m TL), Carcharhinus brachyurus (Günther, 1870), was captured by longliners off Santa Catarina coast, southern Brazil, approximately 26º45'S, 48º15'W. On the intergill ventral region of this specimen was observed a leech, that was collected and stored on the Museu Oceanográfico do Vale do Itajaí (MOVI 10838) (Fig. 1).

The species was identified as Stibarobdella macrothela (Schmarda, 1861) (Clitellata, Piscicolidae, Ichthyobdellinae), a typical leech that ectoparasite elasmobranchs, based on dichotomous key showing by Sawyer et al. (1975) and some other particular characters presented by the same author. The specimen is characterized by body without conspicuous branchiae; no such pulsatile vesicles along lateral margins; tegument with large wart-like tubercles, rounded or pointed; triannulate segment in abdominal region; primary tubercles numbering ten on middle annulus; oral sucker with tentacles (papillae); one pair of eyespots; no marginal fringe; and caudal sucker relatively large, at least two to three times the diameter of the oral sucker. The color is reddish (fresh) or cream (fixed in alcohol 70%). Measurements (mm): total length, 67; diameter of the caudal sucker, 12; diameter of the oral sucker, 5; maximum body width, 14; and maximum body height, 9.

The spectrum of the fish hosts include: Ginglymostoma cirratum, Carcharhinus falciformis, C. leucas, C. limbatus, C. obscurus, C. springeri (= C. perezi), C. longimanus, Negaprion brevirostris, Galeocerdo cuvier, Sphyrna mokarran, S. tudes, guitarfish (Rhinobatidae) and Paralichthys dentatus (= Chaenopsetta ocellaris) (Sawyer, 1967; Sawyer et al., 1975; Williams Jr., 1982). The distribution is large, from circunglobal tropical waters (Llewellyn, 1966). In west Atlantic, S. macrothela was previously reported from North Carolina to Caribbean Sea.

The present work report the first record of Stibarobdella macrothela in the southwest Atlantic and a new host, Carcharhinus brachyurus for this marine leech.

• LLEWELLYN, L. C., 1966, Pontobdellinae (Piscicolidae: Hirudinea) in the British Museum (Natural History) with a review of the subfamily. Bull. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), Zool., 14: 389-439.
• RINGUELET, R., 1944, Sinopsis sistemática y zoogeográfica de los hirudíneos de la Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Paraguay y Uruguay. Rev. Mus. La Plata, Nueva Serie 3, Zool., 22: 163-232.
• SAWYER, R. T., 1967, The leeches of Louisiana, with notes on some North American species. Proc. La. Acad. Sci., 30: 32-38.
• SAWYER, R. T., LAWLER, A. R. & OVERSRTEET, R. M., 1975, Marine leeches of the eastern United States and the Gulf of Mexico with a key to the species. J. Nat. Hist., 9: 633-667.
• WILLIAMS JR., E. H., 1982, Leeches of some marine fishes from Puerto Rico and adjacent regions. Proc. Helminthol. Soc. Wash., 49(2): 323-325.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  22 Feb 2001
• Date of issue
  Nov 2000

History

• Accepted
  31 Jan 2000
• Received
  26 Aug 1999