Occurrence of Philometra lateolabracis (Nematoda: Philometridae) in the gonads of marine perciform fishes in the Mediterranean region.
Gravid females of the nematode Philometra lateolabracis (Yamaguti, 1935), a parasite of gonads of marine perciform fishes, were found in wild and cultured dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe) from waters near the Balear Islands (Spain, Mediterranean Sea) and Sicily (Italy, Thyrrenean Sea), and in the greater amberjack Seriola dumerili (Risso) in Croatia (south-eastern Adriatic Sea). In wild E. marginatus in Spain, the overall prevalence was 21% and the intensity of infection 1 nematode per fish. The nematodes are briefly described and illustrated. The species Sanguinofilaria jordanoi López-Neyra, 1951, described from the ovary of Epinephelus gigas Brünich from Morocco, is synonymized with P. lateolabracis. This is the first documented record of P. lateolabracis from fishes of the Mediterranean region and its finding in S. dumerili represents a new host record. The possible importance of this pathogenic parasite for cultures of marine perciform fishes in the region is stressed.
Moravec
Frantisek
F
Institute of Parasitology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Branisovská 31, 370 05 Ceské Budejovice, Czech Republic. moravec@paru.cas.cz
Glamuzina
Branko
B
Marino
Giovanna
G
Merella
Paolo
P
Di Cave
David
D
D000818:Animals; D017176:Dracunculoidea / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005260:Female; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D006066:Gonads / Q000469:parasitology; D019083:Mediterranean Region / Q000453:epidemiology; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D010473:Perciformes / Q000469:parasitology*; D015995:Prevalence; D017205:Spirurida Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*