Infection of Lophoura edwardsi Kolliker, 1853 (Copepoda: Sphyriidae), on the Hollowsnout Grenadier Coelorinchus caelorhincus (Risso, 1810) (Osteichthyes: Macrouridae) in the southeastern Mediterranean

Lophoura edwardsi, a rarely recorded deep-water parasitic copepod, is reported for the first time from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. We document its incidence of infection in hauls made between 2014 and 2020 on the Israeli upper slope, southeastern Mediterranean Sea. All 15 post-metamorphic females parasitized the deep-water macrourid Coelorinchus caelorhincus. Molecular analysis of 5 specimens revealed four 18S rRNA and four COI haplotypes. Comparisons of 18S rRNA to the Siphonostomatoida sequences available in NCBI confirm L. edwardsi is closely related to the cofamilial Tripaphylus elongatus. The recent emergence of a small but stable population may augur changes in the Levantine slope ecosystem.

Automated summary

The study reports the first observation of the rarely recorded deep-water parasitic copepod Lophoura edwardsi in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Through molecular analysis, researchers identified different genetic variations in the parasite and confirmed its close relationship to other species in the same family. The recent emergence of a small yet stable population of L. edwardsi may indicate potential changes in the Levantine slope ecosystem.