The lecanicephalidean fauna of three species of eagle rays of the genus <italic>Aetomylaeus</italic> (Myliobatiformes: Myliobatidae).

Abstract

The eagle ray genus Aetomylaeus comprises four species: A. vespertilio, A. maculatus, A. niehofii, and A. milvus. Five specimens of A. vespertilio (from Northern Australia), five of A. maculatus (from Borneo), and 17 of A. niehofii (ten from Borneo and seven from Northern Australia) were collected. While cestodes have been reported from A. niehofii and A. maculatus, no cestode data exist for A. vespertilio. Each ray species hosted an assemblage of species representing up to five of the seven orders of elasmobranch cestodes, with the lecanicephalideans being most diverse. The lecanicephalideans encountered were identified as belonging to the genera Aberrapex, Tylocephalum, Polypocephalus, and Lecanicephalum, and four genera new to science. Aetomylaeus vespertilio, A. maculatus, and A. niehofii hosted 13, ten, and seven lecanicephalidean species, respectively, with all unique and new to science. This represents the most comprehensive investigation of the cestode fauna of a genus of rays to date.