Abstract

Atlantic Spanish Mackerel (SM; Scomberomorus maculatus) and Atlantic Sharpnose Shark (AS; Rhizoprionodon terraenovae) are migratory, coastal pelagic species that enter the Mississippi Sound as water temperature increases in the early spring and depart as the water temperature decreases in the fall. Both species feed on nektonic invertebrates and teleosts, including the Bay Anchovy (BA; Anchoa mitchilli) although to a lesser degree than other teleosts (e.g., Saloman and Naughton 1983, Hoffmayer and Parsons 2003). Bay Anchovy is a numerically abundant forage-fish species that is an estuarine resident, capable of reproducing throughout the year, and link the mesozooplankton community to the higher trophic levels. Examination of the parasite community of BA, particularly those species that are trophically-transmitted to SM and AS, may provide insight into when SM and AS enter the Mississippi Sound and the potential importance BA is to the transmission of these parasites.

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