title: First confirmed record of Mola sp. A in the western Mediterranean Sea: morphological, molecular and parasitological findings.
abstract: Recent molecular and morphological studies suggest the existence of at least three species of Mola (Mola spp. A, B and C). Currently, only Mola mola and Mola ramsayi are formally accepted and species A, B or C have not been assigned to these thus far. In this study, a large ocean sunfish in the western Mediterranean Sea was analysed molecularly and morphologically, identified as Mola sp. A and a detailed account of the specimen's parasite load is reported.
authors.affiliation: Oceanogràfic Foundation of the Valencian Community, Eduardo Primo Yúfera (Científic), 1B, Valencia, Spain.|Marine Zoology Unit, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Science Park, University of Valencia, Catedrático José Beltrán, 2, Paterna, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Ahuir-Baraja
authors.affiliation: The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamanoue
authors.affiliation: Aussermattweg 22, 3532, Zäziwil, Switzerland.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kubicek
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D023721:Tetraodontiformes / Q000145:classification / Q000469:parasitology / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: D-loop; Mola mola; genomic DNA; morphometrics; ocean sunfish; parasites