Some adult digenetic trematodes in striped mullet from the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Morphological information is given on the adults of 4 trematodes from Mugil cephalus from estuarine waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico with complementary information from specimens from Georgia. Lasiotocus glebulentus sp. n., from the Gulf, possesses a submedian genital pore and apparently differs from all known species by containing several large concretions in the excretory vesicle. Data are presented for Hymenocotta manteri Overstreet, 1969, Saccocoelioides beauforti (Hunter and Thomas, 1961) comb. n., and Dicrogaster fastigatus Thatcher and Sparks, 1958. These 3 species are now known from both the Gulf of Mexico and the western Atlantic coast. Carassotrema mugilicola Shireman, 1964, is transferred to the genus Chalcinotrema Freitas, 1947. The striped mullet, Mugil cephalus Linnaeus, is a cosmopolitan marine fish found in both fresh and salt waters of the tropical and warm temperate zones. It is a host for a large number of trematodes, many of which were cited by Doss and Farr (1969). In fact, mullet have been theorized by Manter (1957) and others as serving as an ecological bridge between trematodes of freshwater and marine fishes of coastal waters. Four adult species from the northern Gulf of Mexico are discussed below. Two others, Carassotrema mugilicola Shireman, 1964, not recovered by me, and a new species of Lecithaster Liihe, 1901, which will be described by me in a future paper, are also found in striped mullet from the Gulf region. The trematodes were examined alive, fixed in hot AFA solution under minimal coverslip pressure, and stained with Van Cleave's hematoxylin. Figures, except those designated otherwise, were drawn from mounted material with the aid of a camera lucida. All except the first are of material from the Gulf of Mexico region. Measurements are given in microns. Family Haplosplanchnidae Hymenocotta manteri Overstreet, 1969