Species ofPhilometra(Nematoda, Philometridae) from fishes off the Mediterranean coast of Africa, with a description ofPhilometra raran. sp. fromHyporthodus haifensisand a molecular analysis ofPhilometra saltatrixfromPomatomus saltatrix

Abstract

Two gonad-infecting species of Philometra Costa, 1845 (Nematoda, Philometridae) were recorded for the first time from marine perciform fishes off Tunisia and Libya: Philometra rara n. sp. from the rare, deep-water Haifa grouper Hyporthodus haifensis (Serranidae) off Libya and Philometra saltatrix Ramachandran, 1973 from the bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix (Pomatomidae) off Tunisia. Identification of both fish species was confirmed by molecular barcoding. Light and scanning electron microscope studies of Ph. rara n. sp. showed that it is characterized by the length of spicules (216–219 μm) and the gubernaculum (90–93 μm), the gubernaculum/spicules length ratio (1:2.32–2.43), and mainly by the shape and structure of the distal end of the gubernaculum (shovel-shaped with a wide median smooth field in dorsal view), appearing as having a dorsal protuberance in lateral view, and by the structure of the male caudal mound (dorsally interrupted); large subgravid females (70–137 mm long) are characterized by the presence of four oval submedian cephalic elevations, each of them bearing a pair of cephalic papillae of the outer circle. The finding of Ph. saltatrix off Tunisia confirms that this species is widespread throughout the Mediterranean region. A molecular analysis of our Ph. saltatrix specimens and other available philometrid cytochrome c oxidase 1 (COI) sequences showed that most species have robust clades. Sequences of Ph. saltatrix from Tunisia diverge from Ph. saltatrix from Brazil and the USA, suggesting that speciation is currently occurring between populations from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

New record of Philometra species from the marine edible fish Terapon jarbua collected from the Sindh, Arabian Sea, Pakistan

“…Among these, Philometra karachii has been identified within the marine waters of Pakistan, specifically from the host fish Terapon jarbua. Notable among the documented species are P. carolinensis (Moravec et al, 2006) and P. kiddakoi (Moravec et al, 2017). Comparative examination reveals distinctive traits within Philometra karachii.…”

“…Other Discovered Species: Among the recorded species, notable ones include P. brachiri (Bakenhaster and Bullard, 2014) Philometra rara (Moravec et al, 2017) and P. haemulontis (Moravec et al, 2020), In Philometra awarii (n.sp. ), several morphological distinctions are apparent.…”

Truly a hyperparasite, or simply an epibiont on a parasite? The case of Cyclocotyla bellones (Monogenea, Diclidophoridae)

“…Here, as part of an ongoing effort to characterise the parasite biodiversity of fishes off the Southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea [ 4 – 6 , 12 – 15 , 20 – 23 , 31 , 53 – 55 , 69 , 90 ], we present an illustrated redescription of Cyclocotyla bellones based on material from cymothoid isopods on Boops boops (Linnaeus). Previously, in a triple barcoding study, we confirmed the identity of the hyperparasite monogenean, the crustacean parasite-host and the primary fish hosts [ 15 ].…”