Parasites of recruiting coral reef fish larvae in New Caledonia

Recruiting coral reef fish larvae from 38 species and 19 families from New Caledonia were examined for parasites. We found 13 parasite species (Platyh elminthes: Monogenea, Cestoda and Trematoda) but no acanthocephalan, crusta cean or nematode parasites. Over 23% of individual fish were infected. Didy mozoid metacercariae were the most abundant parasites. We conclude that mos t of the parasites are pelagic species that become 'lost' once the fish lar vae have recruited to the reef. Larval coral reef fish probably contribute little to the dispersal of the parasites of the adult fish so that parasite dispersal is more difficult than that of the fish themselves. (C) 2000 Aus tralian Society for Parasitology Inc. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. Al l rights reserved.