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Parasitization Of Callinectes Rathbunae And Callinectes Sapidus By The Rhizocephalan Barnacle Loxothylacus Texanus In Alvarado Lagoon, Veracruz, Mexico, Fernando Alvarez, Adolfo Gracia, Rafael Robles, Jorge Calderon
Parasitization Of Callinectes Rathbunae And Callinectes Sapidus By The Rhizocephalan Barnacle Loxothylacus Texanus In Alvarado Lagoon, Veracruz, Mexico, Fernando Alvarez, Adolfo Gracia, Rafael Robles, Jorge Calderon
Gulf and Caribbean Research
Callinectes rathbunae and CalIinectes sapidus in Alvarado Lagoon, Mexico, were sampled monthly for one year to determine the extent of parasitization by the rhizocephalan cirripede Loxothylacus texanus. Prevalence levels. host sex ratio, carapace width-weight variation, and distribution of the number of parasites among hosts were analyzed. Loxothylacus texanus was present almost exclusively in C. rathbunae with a mean prevalence of 7.58%, while less than 1% of all C. sapidus were parasitized. Callinectes rathbunae constitutes a new host record for this parasite. A study of infection revealed significant variation in prevalence and host size throughout the study period. The sex …