Parasite community of the golden cownose ray Rhinoptera steindachneri Evermann and Jenkins 1891 (Chondrichthyes: Myliobatidae), in Acapulco Bay,Guerrero, Mexico

The parasite community of the ray Rhinoptera steindachneri from Acapulco Bay was examined and quantified; analyses were based on the sex of the host and the date of sampling. A total of 171 specimens of R. steindachneri were examined during July–August of 2010, and May and July of 2012. Twenty-one species of parasites were found: three species of Monogenea; eight adult and one larval species of Cestoda; one larval species of Nematoda; five species of Copepoda; two species of Isopoda; and one species of Hirudinea. Cestodes had the greatest species richness (43% of the total species), followed by the copepods (24%). Two species of cestode, Glyphobothrium sp. and Rhinebothrium sp., were collected only from adult rays. At the component community level, species richness showed statistically significant variation between 13 and 16 species, which is similar to previous reports for other species of rays. The parasite component communities and infracommunities of R. steindachneri exhibited similar patterns: high species number and low numerical dominance by a particular species of parasite. The differences of body size of male vs. female rays, and a change in diet and feeding behaviour with the age of R. steindachneri, are likely important factors in the structuring of their parasite communities.