First record of Pandarus cranchii Leach, 1819 (Siphonostomatoida: Pandaridae) from the North-Eastern Arabian Sea

Abstract

Parasites play an important ecological role in reflecting host health and marine ecosystem dynamics. This study documents the first record of the ectoparasitic copepod Pandarus cranchii Leach, 1819, from the north-eastern Arabian Sea. A total of 11 specimens of P. cranchii were recovered from the ventral region of two female silky sharks, Carcharhinus falciformis (Müller & Henle, 1839), representing a prevalence of 25 %. The hosts were incidentally captured as bycatch during oceanic monofilament tuna longline operations conducted by the MFV Matsya Vrushti in January and April 2023. All collected parasites were adult females, with body lengths ranging from 8.02 to 11.24 mm.