title: Parasites of the head of Scomber colias (Osteichthyes: Scombridae) from the western Mediterranean Sea.
abstract: The metazoan parasite assemblage of the head of 30 specimens of the Atlantic chub mackerel (Scomber colias) from the western Mediterranean Sea was analysed. Eight species of parasites were found, four mazocraeid monogeneans: Grubea cochlear (prevalence = 10%), Kuhnia scombercolias (59%), K. scombri (52%), Pseudokuhnia minor (86%); three didymozoid trematodes: Nematobothrium cf. faciale (21%), N. filiforme (41%), N. scombri (7%); and one laerneopodid copepod: Clavelissa scombri (7%). Results were compared with previously published data from 14 localities of the eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, using non-parametric univariate and multivariate analyses, and the whole parasite fauna of S. colias was compared with that of the congeners (S. australasicus, S. japonicus and S. scombrus). Parasites showed to reflect the biogeographical and phylogenetic history of host. From a methodological point of view, the use of both non-parametric univariate and multivariate techniques proved to be effective tools to detect dissimilarities between parasite assemblages.
authors.affiliation: Parassitologia e Malattie Parassitarie, Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università di Sassari, via Vienna, 2, 07100, Sassari, Italy, smele@uniss.it.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mele
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Pennino
authors.forename: Maria Cristina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Piras
authors.forename: José María
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bellido
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Garippa
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Merella
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D005399:Fishes; D006257:Head / Q000469:parasitology*; D008522:Mediterranean Sea / Q000453:epidemiology; D010273:Parasitic Diseases, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D013045:Species Specificity