Occurrence and prevalence of Philometra filiformis (Stossich, 1896) on Pagellus erythrinus (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea

Abstract

Summary In this paper the host‐parasite relationship between Philometra filiformis and the common pandora Pagellus erythrinus from the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea were studied. A total of 305 (257 females and 48 males) specimens of common pandora were sampled from June 2009 to April 2011 from commercial landings as well as from bottom trawl surveys. A total of 39 P. erythrinus were parasitized (mean prevalence, P = 12.80%; mean abundance, A = 0.19), with the parasite occurring throughout the study area and with wide fluctuations in prevalence values ranging from 0 to 28.60%. Prevalence increased with age of the host, with most parasites (27.78%) found in the older common pandora whereby P. filiformis parasitized only the females. A significant correlation between prevalence, abundance and maturity stages of the fish was evident, with most parasites found in mature/spawning specimens. The varying degrees of gonadic damage caused by this nematode reveal a serious threat to the reproductive success of P. erythrinus.

Parasite Fauna of the Dusky Grouper (Epinephelus marginatus, Lowe 1834) from the Central Mediterranean Sea

“…The gonads of 4 out of the 70 studied fish were infected with one to five specimens of P. jordanoi , but no gross organ alterations were observed. This finding is different to that reported by Marino et al (2016) [ 29 ] in Pagellus erythrinus massively infected by gravid Philometra filiformis ; probably, the smaller size of subgravid females of P. jordanoi found in dusky grouper could account for this difference. Philometrid nematodes have been reported with a prevalence of 22% in E. marginatus gonads and, despite the difficulty of extraction and identification, according to Lòpez-Neyra [ 30 ] a male specimen was identified as P. jordanoi .…”

Testicular leiomyoma and spermatogenic failure syndrome in a seabass from broodstock

“…The specimen was sent to the Experimental Centre for Fish Pathology (CISS) of the University of Messina (southern Italy) for histopathological analysis. During necropsy, tissues of interest were collected and fixed in 10% buffered formalin solution, dehydrated in alcohol and clarified in xylene, and embedded in paraffin wax at 56°C for histopathological examination (Marino, Busalacchi, Bottari, Rinelli, & Gaglio, 2016). Cut sections of 4 μm were stained with haematoxylin and eosin and Mallory's trichrome.…”