Texas Coastal Sharks

The Texas recreational shark fishery consists mostly of three common coastal shark species, the Atlantic Sharpnose (Rhizopriodon terrenovae), Blacktip (Carcharhinus limulatus) and Bonnethead (Sphyrna tiburo). By sampling these sharks as they come in to port, we have a great opportunity to conduct the first thorough examination of their gastrointestinal helminth communities, which can help elucidate migration patterns, verify stomach content analyses, and determine the health status of these species.

Selected publications and abstracts from this project:

1. No publications or abstracts at this time.

For more publications, please visit the publications tab.

 

Gulf of Mexico Deep Sea Fish

My lab has maintained a major, long-standing interest in the biodiversity of the parasitic helminths of deep sea fishes, particularly with grenadiers/rattails (Macrouridae) and cusk-eels (Ophidiidae). However, we have also studied many other deep sea species. Very little is known about the internal parasites of deep sea fishes in most areas of the oceans and virtually all endohelminths we’ve collected from Gulf of Mexico grenadiers/rattails represent undescribed taxa. This research was initiated in the early 1970s and continues today with recent collaborations from other regions of the world (e.g., Japan, India, Egypt). Previous studies have included both endo- and ectoparasites.

List of Fish Species Studied:

Common Atlantic Grenadier, Western Softhead Grenadier, Hollowsnout Grenadier, Cusk Eel, Thickbeard Grenadier, Beardless Codling, Bullseye Grenadier, Longtail Bass, Doublethread Grenadier & Snake Mackerel

Selected publications and abstracts from this project:

1. Blend, C. K., and N. O. Dronen. 2015. Description of a new species of Podocotyle Dujardin, 1845 (Digenea: Opecoelidae: Plagioporinae) from the cusk-eel, Luciobrotula corethromycter Cohen, 1964 (Ophidiiformes: Ophidiidae), from the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Acta Parasitologica 60: 234-243.
2. Blend, C. K. and N. O. Dronen. 2014. A review of the genus Helicometra Odhner, 1902 (Digenea: Opecoelidae: Plagioporinae) with a key to species including Helicometra overstreeti n. sp. from the cusk-eel Luciobrotula corethromycter Cohen, 1964 (Ophidiiformes: Ophidiidae) from the Gulf of Mexico. Marine Biodiversity, 88p.
3. Blend, C. K., N. O. Dronen, S. L. Gardner, G. R. Racz & H. W. Armstrong. 2012. The deep-sea fish digenean genus Tellervotrema Gibson & Bray, 1982 (Opecoelidae: Plagioporinae): Re-evaluation of the type species, T. armstrongi Gibson & Bray, 1982, and T. beringi (Mamaev, 1965). Zootaxa 3295: 1–29.
4. Blend, C. K., N. O. Dronen, and H. W. Armstrong. 2004. Macrourimegatrema brayi n. gen., n. sp. (Digenea: Opecoelidae) from four species of deep-sea macrourid fishes from the Gulf of Mexico and Carribbean Sea, with a review of parasites reported from species of Bathygadus Günther and Gadomus Regan (Macrouridae). Zootaxa 566: 1–18.
5. Blend, C. K., N. O. Dronen, and H. W. Armstrong. 2000. Six new species of Lepidapedon Stafford, 1904 (Digenea: Lepocreadiidae) from deep-sea macrourid fishes from the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, with revised keys to the species of the genus. Systematic Parasitology 45: 1–23.

For more publications, please visit the publications tab.

 

Pacific Anglerfish

Deep sea anglerfish (Ceratoidea) are among the more interesting and unusual marine fishes, often referred to here in the lab as “Disneyfish” because of their unusual morphologies. This new collaborative study is spearheaded by Dr. Charles Blend and Dr. Ted Pietsch to study the diversity of endohelminths in species of anglerfish from the North Pacific. We have examined species from ten different anglerfish families and are describing their internal parasites.

Selected publications and abstracts from this project:

1.  No publications or abstracts at this time.

For more publications, please visit the publications tab.

 

Texas Freshwater Fish

Texas has an abundance of freshwater fishes with relatively well known parasite faunas. While we have occasionally described new species, most of our research has centered on parasite ecology in a variety of freshwater fish families. These projects are considered complete, however if you are interested in a new collaboration, please contact me.

Selected publications and abstracts from these projects:

1. Bhuthimethee, M., N. O. Dronen, and W. H. Neill. 2006. Metazoan parasite communities of sentinel bluegill cages in two urbanizing streams, San Antonio, Texas. Journal of Parasitology 91: 1358–1367.
2. Underwood, H.T. and N.O. Dronen. 1985. Endohelminths of fishes from the upper San Marcos River. Southwestern Naturalist 29: 377–380.
3. Ingham, R.E. and N.O. Dronen. 1983. Some effects of seasonality on parasitic infection in largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides, (Lacepede). Southwestern Naturalist 27: 223–224.
4. Dronen, N.O., L.A. Rubec, and H.T. Underwood. 1982. Seasonal fluctuations in the population density of Alloglossidium corti, (Digenea: Macroderoididae) in channel catfish from the Little Brazos River, Texas. Southwestern Naturalist 27: 73–78.

For more publications, please visit the publications tab.

 

Red Sea & Mediterranean Sea Fish

We currently have two ongoing collaborative studies with universities in Egypt: one with Dr. Nahed El-Sayed Abdou and a second with Yasser Farhat. These projects include taxonomic descriptions of endohelminths from a variety of Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea fish, including offshore commercial species and nearshore parrotfishes.

Selected publications and abstracts from these projects:

1. Abdou, N. El-Sayad and N. O. Dronen. 2007. Studies on the juveniles of a species of Anisakis (Nematoda: Anisakidae) from the orangespotted trevally, Carangoides bayad (Carangidae) from the Red Sea, Egypt. Journal of the Egyptian Society of Parasitology 37: 1–10.
2. Abdou, N. E., N. O. Dronen, and C. K. Blend. 2006. Karyakartia egyptensis n. sp. (Digenea: Lepocreadiidae) from the Jarbua terapon, Terapon jarbua (Forsskål) (Perciformes: Terapontidae), from the Red Sea and emendation of Karyakartia. Journal of Parasitology 92: 73–76.
3. Gray, E. A., N. O. Dronen, and C. K. Blend. 2003. Paracanthogalea egyptensis n. gen., n. sp. (Digenea: Lepocreadiidae) from the Jarbua terapon Terapon jarbua (Forsskål) (Perciformes: Terapontidae) from the Red Sea. Presented at the Southwestern Association of Parasitologists Annual Meeting, Lake Texoma, Oklahoma, April 2003.

For more publications, please visit the publications tab.

 

 

Marine Actinopterygii of India

My lab is currently collaborating with Dr. Sandeep Malhotra and Dr. Neeshma Jaiswal on the endohelminths of marine fishes in India. Our research focuses on describing new parasite species from multiple genera found in these bony fish [i.e., Lepidapedon, Opechona (Digenea: Opecoelidae); Siphoderina (Digenea: Cryptogonimidae); Tormopsolus (Digenea: Acanthocolpidae); an unknown hemiurid (Digenea: Hemiuridae); an unknown Caryophyllid (Cestoda: Caryophyllidea); and an unknown Bothriocephalid (Cestoda: Bothriocephalidae)].

Selected publications and abstracts from this project:

1. Dronen, N. O., C. K., Blend and A. Malhota. 2014. Keys to the species of Neolebouria Gibson, 1976 (Opecoelidae: Plagioporinae). Systematic Parasitology 88: 213–225.
2. Neesham, J., S. K. Upadhyay, A. Malhota, N. O. Dronen, C. K., Blend, and S. K. Malhota. 2014. A new species of Neolebouria Gibson, 1976 (Opecoelidae: Plagioporinae) from the whitecheek monocle bream, Scolopsis vosmeri (Perciformes: Nemipteridae), from the Panjim coast at Goa, with a checklist of parasites previously reported from this fish. Zootaxa 3802: 98–108.

For more publications, please visit the publications tab.