Examination of a total of 581 fish specimens of 15 species from 39 cenotes (sinkholes) in the Yucatan Peninsula, southeastern Mexico, revealed the presence of 10 species of adult trematodes. These were as follows: Saccocoelioides sogandaresi Lumsden, 1963, Saccocoelinides sp. (family Haploporidae), Cichlasotrema ujati Pineda et Andrade, 1989 (Angiodictyidae), Crassicutis cichlasomae Manter, 1936 (Homalometridae), Magnivitellinum simplex Kloss, 1966 (Macroderoididae), Stunkardiel-la minima (Stunkard, 1938) (Acanthostomidae), Oligogonotylus manieri Watson, 1976 (Cryptogonimidae), Genarchella tropica (Manter, 1936), G. astyanactis (Watson, 1976), and G. isabellae (Lamothe-Argumedo, 1977) (Derogenidae). Saccocoelioides sogandaresi is reported from Mexico for the first time. Poecilia velifera and P. latipunctata for S. sogandaresi, Cichlasoma octo-fasciatum for C. cichlasomae, Cichlasoma friedrichslahli and C. meeki for O. manieri, and C. meeki, C. octofasciatum and Go-hiomorus dormitor for C. isabellae represent new host records. Most species found are described and figured and their host range
During a study on parasites of fish from cenotes (= sinkholes) in the Yucatan Peninsula, the following cestodes and acanthocephalans were found in 581 freshwater fish of 15 species: the cestodes Bothriocephalus acheilognathi Yamaguti, 1934, Bothriocephalus sp. (Bothriocephalidae), Nomimascolex sp. (Monticellidae), Proteocephalidea gen. sp. larv., Dendrouterina pa-pillifera (Fuhrmann, 1908) larv. and D. pilherodiae Mahon, 1956 larv. (Dilepididae), and the acanthocephalans Octospinifer-oides chandleri Bullock, 1957, Neoechinorhynchus golvani Salgado-Maldonado, 1978 (Neoechinorhynchidae), Polymorphus (syn. Arhythmorhynchus) brevis (Van Cleave, 1916) larv. (Polymorphidae), and an echinorhynchid larva. With the exception of B. acheilognathi, all tapeworms are found in Mexico for the first time; second-stage larvae of D. papillifera and D. pilherodiae from fish are reported for the first time.
The paper presents a survey of the metacercariae of trematodes found in 581 fishes of 15 species from 39 cenotes (sinkholes) of the Yucatan Peninsula, southeastern Mexico. The following 21 species were found: Echinochasmus sp. 1, Echino-chasmus sp. 2, Echinostomatinae gen. sp. (family Echinostomatidae), Stunkardiella minima (Stunkard, 1938), Alrophecaecum (?) astorquii (Watson, 1976), Peiaezia loossi (Pérez Vigueras, 1957) (Acanthostomidae); Ascocotyle (Ascocotyle) tenuicollis Price, 1935, Ascocotyle (Ascolotyle) sp. 1, Ascocotyle (Phagicola) diminuta (Stunkard et Haviland, 1924), Ascocotyle (Phagicola) sp. 2 (= Phagicola angrense Travassos, 1916 of Salgado-Maldonado and Aguirre-Macedo, 1991), Ascocotyle (Phagicola) sp. 3 (Heterophyidae); Cladocystis trifolium (Braun, 1901) (Opisthorchiidae); Oligogonotylus manieri Watson, 1976 (Cryptogonimidae); Clinostomum cf. complanatum (Rudolphi, 1814) (Clinostomidae); Diplostomum (Auslrodiplostomum) com-paclum (Lutz, 1928), Posthodiplostomum minimum (MacCallum, 1921), Posthodiplostomum sp. (Diplostomidae); Neodiplos-tomidae gen. sp. 1 ; Neodiplostomidae gen. sp. 2 (Neodiplostomidae); and Apharyngostrigea sp. (Strigeidae). All species found are described and figured, and their life cycles are briefly discussed.
During a survey of the parasites of freshwater fishes from cenotes (sinkholes) of the Yucatan Peninsula the following species of monogeneans were found on cichlid, pimelodid, characid and poeciliid fishes: Sciadicleithrum mexicanum Kritsky, Vidal-Martinez et Rodriguez-Canul, 1994 from C.ichlasoma urophthalmus (Giinther) (type host), Cichlasoma friedrichsthali (Heckel), Cichlasoma octofasciatum (Regan), and Cichlasoma synspilum Hubbs, all new host records; Sciadicleithrum meekii Mcndoza-Franco, Scholz et Vidal-Martinez, 1997 from Cichlasoma meeki (Brind); Urocleidoides chavarriai (Price, 1938) and Urocleidoides travassosi (Price, 1938) from Rhamdia guatemalensis (Günther); Urocleidoides costaricensis (Price et Bussing, 1967), Urocleidoides heteroancistrium (Price et Bussing, 1968), Urocleidoides anops Kritsky et Thatcher, 1974, Anacanthocotyle anacanthocolyle Kritsky et Fritts, 1970, and Gyrodaclylus neotropicalis Kritsky et Fritts, 1970 from Aslyanax fasciatus; and Gyrodactylus sp. from Gambusia yucatana Regan. Urocleidoides chavarriai, U. travassosi, U. costaricensis, U. heteroancistrium, U. anops, Anacanthocotyle anacanthocotyle and Gyrodactylus neotropicalis are reported from North America (Mexico) for the first time. These findings support the idea about the dispersion of freshwater fishes and their monogenean parasites from South America through Central America to southeastern Mexico, following the emergence of the Panamanian isthmus between 2 and 5 million years ago.