Six new species of Rhamnocercus Monaco, Wood & Mizelle, 1954 (Monogenea: Diplectanidae) infecting the gills from South American sciaenid fishes.

A parasitological survey searching diplectanids (Monogenea: Diplecatnidae) infesting the gills of marine fishes from South America was carried out during the 2019-2020 period. The gills of four sciaenid species, 2 Cheilotrema fasciatum Tschudi, 1 smalleye croaker Nebris microps Cuvier, 2 royal highhat Pareques lanfeari (Barton), and 1 minor stardrum Stellifer minor (Tschudi), were sampled. Six new species of Rhamnocercus Monaco, Wood & Mizelle, 1954 were described: Rhamnocercus chacllae n. sp. and Rhamnocercus chaskae n. sp. from P. lanfeari, Rhamnocercus fasciatus n. sp. from C. fasciatum, Rhamnocercus microps n. sp. from N. microps, and Rhamnocercus rimaci n. sp. and Rhamnocercus tantaleani n. sp. from S. minor. Rhamnocercus chacllae n. sp. can be differentiated from its congeners by its L-shaped male copulatory organ (MCO) and by having an anteromedial slight notch at ventral bar. Rhamnocercus chaskae n. sp. differs from the other species of the genus by its long and straight MCO with bifid distal end and by having haptoral accessory spines at level of ventral bar with quadrifid distal portion. Rhamnocercus fasciatus n. sp. is characterized by possessing a straight and long MCO with truncated distal end, haptoral accessory spines at level of ventral bar with bifid distal portion, dorsal bars with a knob at lateral extremity, and a large vagina with bell-shaped. Rhamnocercus microps n. sp. differs from all congeners mainly by having a short and straight MCO with the distal end of internal tube spatulate and uncovered by external tube. Rhamnocercus rimaci n. sp. is can be distinguished from all other species of Rhamnocercus by having an almost J-shaped MCO with the distal end of external tube slight expanded and the distal end of internal tube narrow and uncovered by external tube. Rhamnocercus tantaleani n. sp. is mainly characterized by its MCO, which is tubular and straight, having the distal end of external tube bifurcated (right branch well-expanded and left branch narrow) and the distal end of internal tube enveloped by left branch of the external tube. This is the first data on the parasites of P. lanfeari, a little known, but popular fish in local markets from Peru. Rhamnocercus microps n. sp. is the first described species of Rhamnocercus in Brazil. The present finding brings to 12, the number of known species of Rhamnocercus. A key to Rhamnocercus species is provided.