Metazoan parasites in the head region of the bullet tuna Auxisrochei (Osteichthyes: Scombridae) from the western Mediterranean Sea. Issue 6 (November 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mele, S.; Saber, S.; Gómez-Vives, M.J.; Garippa, G.; Alemany, F.; Macías, D.; Merella, P.
• Is Part Of: Journal of helminthology. Volume 89:Issue 6(2015)
• Page Start: 734
• Page End: 739
• Publication Date: 2015-11
• Subjects: Helminthology -- Periodicals; 592.3
• DOI: 10.1017/S0022149X14000662
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-149X

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="normal"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>The head region of 72 bullet tuna <italic>Auxis rochei</italic> from the western Mediterranean Sea (south-east Spain and the Strait of Gibraltar) was examined for parasites. Seven metazoan species were found in the fish from south-east Spain: three monogeneans, two trematodes and two copepods, whereas only three species were isolated in the fish from the Strait of Gibraltar. A comparison of the levels of infection of the parasites according to fish size in south-east Spain showed that the prevalence of <italic>Didymozoon auxis</italic> and the mean abundance of <italic>Allopseudaxine macrova</italic> were higher in the larger hosts (range of fork length = 38–44 cm) than in the smaller ones (33–37 cm). A comparison of the parasite infections according to geographical region showed that the mean abundances of Nematobothriinae gen. sp. and <italic>Caligus bonito</italic> were higher in fish from south-east Spain than in those from the Strait of Gibraltar. A comparison of the parasite fauna of <italic>A. rochei</italic> from the Mediterranean Sea with the published data on <italic>Auxis</italic> spp. from the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans revealed the closest similarity between the Mediterranean <italic>A. rochei</italic> and the Atlantic <italic>A. thazard</italic>.</p> </abstract>