MORPHOLOGICAL STUDY OF Gnathia sp. (CRUSTACEA: ISOPODA: GNATHIIDAE) AS ECTOPARASITES OF SOME ELASMOBRANCH SPECIES FROM EAST COAST OF PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

Study focused on the morphological identification of Gnathia sp. attached on gills of some elasmobranch. Fish samples were collected from Terengganu coastal waters. Fourteen over 21 samples from various elasmobranch species such as Carchahinus melanopterus, Chiloscyllium griseum and Rynchobatus australiae were diagnostically infected with these isopods. The morphological characteristics of these parasites were described, draw (using Leica Lucida Camera) and captured using Advanced Research Microscope (Nikon 80i Eclipse). The characterisctic features of this species include the size of specimen, the morphology of the pylopods and maxilipedes of the female, and the number of teeth on the mandibles and maxillules of the specimen. This description follows the anatomical taxonomy, numbering of pareonites and pereopods, and general layout used by previous study.