A new contribution to the knowledge of helminth parasite fauna of fishes from the channels between the mid-Dalmatian islands Adriatic Sea

Abstract

      Endohelminth parasitofauna of marine fishes from the mid-Dalmatian area is rather abundant and diverse. Of a total of 63 analysed species (220 individuals) 48 fish spe­cies hosted 28 endohelminth species: 13 Trematoda Digenea, 10 Nematodes, 3 Cestodes and 2 Acanthocephales. Nemato­des occurred most frequently, particularly Contracaecum spp. larvae and Anisakis sp. larvae (in total in 44.4% of analysed fish species). Cestode species Acanthobothrium floridensis is frequent in cartilaginous fishes. In addition, 54% of analysed fish species were invaded by nematodes, 22.2% by trematodes, and 12.7% by the rest of groups (cestodes and acanthocephales).

      It was established which endohelminth species invaded both cartilaginous and bony fishes (3), which invaded ex­clusively cartilaginous (3) and which were specific parasi­tes of individual fish species or genera (5).

      Four endohelminth species (Cestodes and Trematoda Digenea) have not so far been known in the Adriatic: Acanthobothrium folridensis, Sterrhurus musculus, Hemiurus communis and Lintonium vibex.