Parasitic helminths occurring in the Adriatic fishes. Part I (Flukes)

Abstract

       A large number of fishes collected in the Adriatic, in the proximity of Split, were examined for helminth parasites during the spring months of the year 1966. The present paper deals with one group of flukes found in the examined fishes, i. e.:

      Mesometra orbicularis (Rud., 1819) Lühe, 1901; M. brachycoelia Lühe, 1901 ; M. orbicularis (Rud.,) minutaculeata Dollfus, 1947; M. brachycoelia (Lühe), minimispinis Dollfus, 1947; Anisocoelium capitellatum (Rud., 1819); Anisocladium fallax (Rud., 1819); Opechona bacillaris (Molin, 1859) Looss, 1907; Opecoeloides furcatus (Bremser in Rudolphi, 1819) Odhner, 1928; Deropristis onflata (Molin, 1859); Tergestia laticollis (Rud., 1819) Stossich, 1899; Lecithocladium excisum (Rud., 1819) Lühe, 1901; Derogenes ruber Lühe, 1900; D. varicus (Müller, 1784) Looss, 1901; Prosorhynchus crucibulus (Rud., 1819) Odhner, 1905; Monorchis monorchis (Stossich, 1890); Hemiurus lühei Odhner, 1905; H. rugosus Looss, 1907.

       Generally speaking, most of the flukes are frequently occurrent in the fishes of the Adriatic Sea, and their occurrence (Triest, Split) was, already recorded by earlier investigators (Stossich, Lühe, Janiszewska). According to the available literature, only two species (Deropristis inflata, Hemiurus lühei) and two subspecies (Mesometra orbicularis (Rud.) minutaculata, M. brachycoelia (Lühe) minimispins) seem to have been recorded for the first time among the parasitic helminth fauna in Yugoslavia.

       Crenilabrus cinereus, C. tinca, and Diplodus annularis belong to species that were known before to be hosts of Tergestia laticollis.

      Besides different data showing body measure of the examined parasites, the paper also contains drawings of helminths and information about their localization and distribution.