New Records of the Marine Turtle Epibiont Balaenophilus umigamecolus (Copepoda: Harpacticoida: Balaenophilidae): New Host Records and Possible Implications for Marine Turtle Health

Balaenophilus umigamecolus are reported for the first time in the eastern Pacific, from the Jalisco coast of western Mexico. Two new hosts are represented: the olive ridley turtle, Lepidochelys olivacea, and the black turtle, Chelonia mydas agassizi. Data indicate a distinct correlation between the presence of B. umigamecolus copepods and Stomatolepas praegustator, barnacles that grow imbedded in turtle skin. This relationship may have implications for marine turtle health.