PATTERNS OF SPECIES-DIVERSITY IN THE GASTROINTESTINAL HELMINTHS OF A CORAL-REEF FISH, EPINEPHELUS-MERRA (SERRANIDAE), FROM FRENCH-POLYNESIAAND THE SOUTH-PACIFIC OCEAN

Large-scale patterns of species diversity in the gastrointestinal helm inth faunas of the coral reef fish Epinephelus merra (Serranidae) were investigated in French Polynesia and the South Pacific Ocean. The ric her barrier reef community in French Polynesia supported richer parasi te communities in E. merra than that on the fringing reef. While paras ite communities among fish from the same archipelago were similar, dif ferences in potential host species and the distance between archipelag os may have contributed to a qualitative difference in parasite commun ities between archipelagos. Digenean community diversity in coral reef fishes was greater in the western South Pacific, following similar pa tterns in free-living species. However, overall species diversity of c amallanid nematodes of coral reef fishes does not appear to have been similarly affected.