First record of the bluespotted cornetfish from the Mediterranean Sea

Three specimens of the Indo-Pacific Bluespotted cornetfish Fistularia commersonii are recorded for the first time from the Mediterranean. The presence of this species in the Mediterranean is due to migration from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal.     

Metazoan parasites on the gills of the skipjack tuna Katsuwonus pelamis (Osteichthyes: Scombridae) from the Alboran Sea (western Mediterranean Sea)

The gills of 31 skipjack tuna Katsuwonus pelamis (L.) caught in the Alboran Sea (western Mediterranean Sea) were examined for metazoan parasites, and the gills of 4 specimens from the Balearic Sea (also western Mediterranean Sea) were analysed for comparative purposes. Nine -species of parasites were found, including 8 didymozoid trematodes (Atalostrophion cf. bio-varium, Didymocylindrus filiformis, Didymocylindrus simplex, Didymocystis reniformis, Didymoproblema fusiforme, Didymozoon longicolle, Koellikeria sp. and Lobatozoum multisacculatum) and 1 caligid copepod (Caligus bonito). Koellikeria sp. and L. multisacculatum were not recorded in the Balearic Sea. Most of the parasites (79.2% of all specimens) were didymozoids. Didymozoon longicolle was the dominant species; A. cf. biovarium, D. simplex, D. fusiforme and L. multisacculatum are reported from the Mediterranean Sea for the first time. No correlation was found between the intensity of infection of any parasite species and host size or sex. Most of the parasites, particularly didymozoids, showed a high site-specificity. Significant differences were found between the parasite assemblages of K. pelamis from the Alboran Sea and from the Atlantic Ocean. D. fusiforme, D. longicolle and L. multisacculatum are suggested as potential tags to follow skipjack tuna migrations between the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.     

First record of red cornetfish Fistularia petimba (Syngnathiformes:Fistulariidae) from Antalya and İskenderun Bays along Turkish Coasts of the Mediterranean Sea

Here, we report the first occurrence of red cornetfish Fistularia petimba in the north‐eastern Mediterranean Sea. Altogether four specimens were captured; first two in Antalya Bay on 28 October 2016 and 26 November 2016, and the remaining two in ?skenderun Bay on 21 May 2017 during the bottom trawl surveys along the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. All specimens were young and more or less uniform in size (383, 335, 419 and 453 mm standard length). The possibility that F. petimba could become a new potential invader in the Mediterranean as its congeneric F. commersonii is cautioned against.     

Weight–length relationships for 20 Lessepsian fish species caught by bottom trawl on the coast of Iskenderun Bay (NE Mediterranean Sea, Turkey)

Weight–length relationships were estimated for 20 Lessepsian fish species of the Iskenderun Bay, namely, Apogon nigripinnis , Apogon queketti , Callionymus flamentosus , Cynoglossus sinusarabici , Dussumieria elopsoides , Etrumeus teres , Fistularia commersonii , Lagocephalus spadiceus , Lagocephalus suezensis , Leiognathus kluzingeri , Nemipterus japonicus , Oxyurichthys petersenii , Saurida undosquamis , Sillago sihama , Siganus luridus , Siganus rivulatus , Sphyraena chroysotaeina , Stephanolepis diaspros , Upeneus moluccensis and Upeneus pori . All regressions were found to be significant for all species. This study presents the first estimation of weight–length relationships for six species ( A. queketti , E. teres , F. commersonii , L. suezensis , Nemipterus randalli , and S. luridus ) inhabiting coastal areas of the northeastern Mediterranean Sea.     

Linking larvae and adults of Apharyngostrigea cornu, Hysteromorpha triloba, and Alaria mustelae (Diplostomoidea: Digenea) using molecular data

Because the taxonomy of trematodes is based on adults, the larval stages of most digeneans cannot be identified to species based on morphology alone. Molecular data provide a means of linking larval stages to known adults. We obtained sequences from the barcode region of cytochrome oxidase I (CO1) from adult and larval parasites of fish, frogs, birds, and mammals across North America. Sequences from adult Apharyngostrigea cornu, Hysteromorpha triloba, and Alaria mustelae (Diplostomoidea: Digenea) from definitive hosts matched those of meta- and mesocercariae from fish and frogs. These data provided new information on the distributions of all 3 parasite species. Metacercariae of A. cornu, which have not been previously reported in North American hosts, were found in Notemigonus crysoleucas, Pimephales notatus, and Catostomus commersonii in the St. Lawrence River. Metacercariae of H. triloba are reported in Canadian waters and in N. hudsonius for the first time. Alaria mustelae is reported for the first time in frogs from Quebec, Canada, and an additional species of Alaria was detected in California. Sequences of internal transcribed spacer rDNA from a subset of specimens support the same species boundaries indicated by CO1 divergence. There was little divergence in CO1 sequences from an unidentified diplostomid species sampled at a large spatial scale.     

Diet composition of the Lessepsian bluespotted cornetfish Fistularia commersonii in the eastern Mediterranean

Adaptability is an important factor in defining success or failure of an introduced species. The bluespotted cornetfish, Fistularia commersonii , invaded the Mediterranean from the Red Sea and spread quickly, displaying an explosive growth pattern in the eastern and central Mediterranean. Stomach contents of the Lessepsian piscivore were studied from off the Lebanese coast in order to describe aspects of its feeding ecology in the new environment. Cornetfish of different sizes (25–112 cm L_t) and from various habitats and depths (1–40 m) were sampled over an 18-month period (May 2003 to November 2004). Only 29% of the individuals contained identifiable prey items. The diet of the invasive cornetfish comprised a large variety of prey (41 taxa), Spicara smaris and Boops boops being the most important. Comparisons among prey habitats showed that the invasive cornetfish fed preferably on schooling species living in the water column. A large diversity of prey species characterized autumn and winter seasons while S. smaris and B. boops dominated in the spring and summer. Diet did not vary significantly with predator size except for S. smaris , which was a more important prey to middle size-classes cornetfish. The invasion of F. commersonii might have an important effect on structure and population dynamics of native communities, however it seems premature to predict the potential impact on eastern Mediterranean ecosystems or fisheries.     

shape Ogmogaster antarcticus Johnston, 1931 (Digenea: Notocotylidae) in shape Balaenoptera physalus (L.): first record in the Mediterranean Sea

Detailed parasitological investigations were carried out on the stomach and the intestine of a young male Balaenoptera physalus found stranded along the east coast of the northern Tyrrhenian Sea. Thousands of digeneans were found in both the caecum and the colon. Morphological and morphometric studies were carried out on these parasites, which were identified as Ogmogaster antarcticus Johnston, 1931. In contrast to the other species of the genus, O. antarcticus has a large geographical distribution and it is not specific to its definitive hosts. This is the first record of O. antarcticus from B. physalus in the Mediterranean Sea, a finding which helps confirm the world-wide distribution of this parasite.     

Gastrointestinal helminths of Cuvier's beaked whales, Ziphius cavirostris, from the western Mediterranean

We examined the gastrointestinal helminth fauna of 2 Cuvier's beaked whales, Ziphius cavirostris, stranded on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. Information regarding intestinal parasites of this species is provided for the first time. Six helminth taxa were identified. Thirty type II larvae of the nematode Anisakis sp. were found in the stomach and the intestine of both hosts; 2 type I larvae of Anisakis sp. were found in the intestine of 1 host. One juvenile of the acanthocephalan Bolbosoma vasculosum was found in the intestine; the metacestode Scolex pleuronectis was found mainly in the terminal colon and the anal crypts of both hosts; adult cestodes of Tetrabothrius sp., which may represent a new species, were collected from the duodenum of 1 host. Composition of the intestinal parasitic community is similar to that of other oceanic cetaceans, which mostly include species of Bolbosoma and tetrabothriids (Cestoda).     

Secondary metabolite profile in induced tetraploids of wild Solanum commersonii Dun

The main aim of this work was to study the leaf secondary metabolite profiles of artificially induced tetraploids (2n=4x=48) of Solanum commersonii, a diploid (2n=2x=24) wild potato species. The tetraploid genotypes of S. commersonii were produced by oryzalin treatment. Both HPLC-UV and LC/MS analyses revealed that there were no qualitative differences in the metabolite profiles between the diploid S. commersonii and its tetraploids. By contrast, the results showed that the phenylpropanoid content was generally significantly higher in the tetraploids than in the diploid S. commersonii. Concerning the glycoalkaloids (GAs), the results provided evidence that the content of minor GAs (solanidenediol triose, solanidadienol lycotetraose, and solanidenol lycotetraose) was higher in tetraploids than in the diploid progenitor, while the content of major GAs (dehydrodemissine and dehydrocommersonine) was significantly higher in diploid S. commersonii than in its tetraploid genotypes. The results are discussed from the practical perspective of potato biodiversity enhancement.     

The tropical caprellid amphipod Paracaprella pusilla: a new alien crustacean in the Mediterranean Sea

Paracaprella pusilla Mayer (Fauna und Flora des Golfes von Neapel 17:1–55, 1890), originally described from Brazil, is one of the most abundant caprellid amphipod species in tropical and subtropical seas around the world. During a survey of caprellid amphipods from marinas along the Balearic Island (Western Mediterranean Sea) carried out between November 2011 and August 2012, we found two established populations of P. pusilla in Mallorca and Ibiza, respectively. So far, its occurrence in European waters was reported only from southwestern Spain in 2010. This record represents a northward range expansion of the species’ distribution, which is found for the first time in the Mediterranean. This is also the first record of the genus Paracaprella in the Mediterranean Sea. The most probable introduction vector was ship fouling. We also found the invasive caprellid Caprella scaura Templeton (Trans Entomol Soc Lond 1:185–198, 1836) in Mallorca and Menorca, which is recorded for the first time in the Balearic Islands, confirming its rapid expansion along the Mediterranean. When comparing reproductive traits between both alien species, we found that P. pusilla has a higher fecundity than C. scaura for the same female size. Taking into account this evidence, the species may be expected to appear in other Mediterranean and adjacent areas.     

Testes development and maturity classification of albacore (Thunnus alalunga ( Bonaterre, 1788)) from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

The criteria of testicular maturity during the spawning season and for maturity rates are described according to age for 140 male albacore (Thunnus alalunga, Bonnaterre, 1788) sampled between April and August, 2002–2008 in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Histology of gonad samples was used to determine maturity status. Spermatogenesis and its relation to reproductive biology are reported. Fish ranged in fork length (FL) from 63 to 90 cm. The reproductive classes were based upon changes in the testicular morphology and stages of the germinative cells, i.e. immature, developing, maturing, spawning, and spent. Mature stages of testes including the smallest sample of a 63 cm male were observed from May to August of each year during the study. The reported evidence indicates that the size and age of first sexual maturity values of males of the Eastern Mediterranean population are nearly the same as in the Western Mediterranean population, but lower than in the Atlantic stock. The results of this histological investigation, conducted for the first time on this species in the Mediterranean Sea, will enable more precise future estimations for sustainability of the male albacore stock in the Eastern Mediterranean.     

Lessepsian migrant Fistularia commersonii from the Rhodes marine area

The bluespotted cornetfish Fistularia commersonii which originates from the Red Sea, appeared in the marine area of Rhodes Island (south-east Aegean Sea). This is a new record of the species based on 37 specimens caught during summer-winter 2001. The species appears to be spreading rapidly west and easily becoming established in Mediterranean coastal habitats.     

Effect of the digenean parasites of fish on the fauna of Mediterranean lagoons

Attention is drawn to the effects of parasites on their hosts, taking as a model the digenean parasites of teleosts (hereafter: fish) from lagoons along the French Mediterranean coast. Because digeneans have a heteroxenic life cycle, their impact is not limited to the definitive host, which harbours the sexual adults, but is extended to the first host (mollusc) and to the second host ("invertebrate" or fish). Adult parasites, in order to ensure efficient sexual reproduction, never cause excessive damage to their definitive host, usually only exploiting the intestinal fluids; however, the host must intensify its search for prey, which results in a diminished fitness. Within the first host, 'larval' stages of digenean parasites invade the gonads, resulting in its castration, then exhaustion and eventually death. The diversion of energy from the second hosts towards the parasites forces them to intensify their search for food, resulting in decreased fitness and an increased risk of being eaten; in addition, manipulation of the host's behaviour by parasites drives this host into the food chain of the definitive host. In lagoons, many individuals of almost all species of fish and invertebrates act as first, second and/or definitive hosts for digeneans. Obviously, parasites have a severe impact on the population dynamics of key taxa, on the food web and therefore also on the functioning of the whole lagoon ecosystem. Yet this impact has been largely overlooked or underestimated in functioning models, by ecologists, who tend to prioritize more apparent trophic relationships.     

Retracted: A new species in town: New record of Hexanchus nakamurai Teng, 1962 from the Levantine Sea

Hexanchus nakamurai is a deep-water species, with very little scientific information. This study confirms the distribution of the species in the most eastern region of the Mediterranean Sea, Levantine Sea, in addition to providing some biological information from four pregnant individuals, which is being reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea. A total of four individuals were bycaught, in two sets on opposite coasts, three on the 13th of May 2020 from the western coast, and an individual on the 14th June 2020 from east coast of the island of Cyprus. The four specimens, all pregnant females, measured between 107 and 116 cm in total length and between 4,330 and 4,960 g in weight. All specimens were in early pregnancy according to the level of embryo development, which confirms that the size at maturity is smaller than previously reported. In the stomachs, remains of the hake Merluccius merluccius, the cephalopod Loligo vulgaris and two unidentified species of Hirudinea (Annelida) were found. This study provides important new information on the Mediterranean distribution of a globally rare and data deficient species, including an expansion of its known range, dietary preferences and insights of its reproduction biology; the first pregnant females reported in the Mediterranean Sea.     

Gastrointestinal parasites of the grasscutter (Thryonomys swinderianus, Temminck 1827) on the Accra Plains of Ghana

The gastrointestinal parasites of the grasscutter were investigated between 1996 and 2006 using 180 grasscutters from the Accra Plains. The aim of the study was to develop strategies for the control of the parasites under captive management. The gastrointestinal tracts of the animals were examined for the presence of both helminth and protozoan parasites with the aid of a hand lens, the direct smear and Willis Flotation techniques. In all, fourteen species of helminths were found including twelve nematodes and two cestodes. Trichuris muris was the most common nematode encountered, whilst Hepatocola hepatica was the least commonly encountered nematode. Three genera of protozoans, viz, Trichomonas spp, Giardia spp and Eimeria spp were also encountered, with Giardia spp and Trichomonas spp being reported for the first time in the grasscutter. Eimeria spp were the most prevalent protozoa. The widespread occurrence of protozoal and helminthic parasites in the grasscutter suggests that routine treatment of grasscutters with coccidiostats, anti-flagellates and anthelminthics such as dimetridazole and albendazole may contribute significantly to improve productivity of animals and reduce the pressure on wild populations.     

Chilling sensitivity of the frost-tolerant potato Solanum commersonii

Frost tolerance has been reported in the shoots of wild, tuberiferous potato species such as Solanum commersonii when the plants are grown in either field or controlled conditions. However, these plants can survive as underground tubers and avoid unfavorable environmental conditions altogether. As such, leaf growth and photosynthesis at low temperature may not be required for survival of the plants. In order to determine the temperature sensitivity of S. commersonii shoots, we examined leaf growth, development and photosynthesis in plants raised at 20/16°C (day/night). 12/9°C and 5/2°C. S. commersonii leaves grown at 5°C exhibited a marked decrease in leaf area and in total chlorophyll (Chl) content per leaf area when compared with leaves grown at 20°C. Furthermore, leaves grown at 5°C did not exhibit the expected decrease in either water content or susceptibility to low-temperature-induced photoinhibition that normally characterizes cold acclimation in frost-tolerant plants. Measurements of CO₂-saturated O₂ evolution showed that the photosynthetic apparatus of 5°C plants was functional, even though the efficiency of photosystem II photochemistry was reduced by growth at 5°C. A decrease in the resolution of the M-peak in the slow transients for Chl a fluorescence in leaves grown at 12 and 5°C and in all leaves exposed to high light at 5°C indicated that low temperature significantly affected processes on the reducing side of Q_A, the primary quinone electron acceptor in photosystem II. Thus S. commarsonii exhibits the characteristics of a plant that is limited by chilling temperatures. Although S. commersonii can tolerate light frosts, its sensitivity to chilling temperatures may result in shoot dieback in winter in its native habitat. The plants may avoid both chilling and freezing temperatures by overwintering as underground tubers.     

Bonamia exitiosa (Haplosporidia) observed infecting the European flat oyster Ostrea edulis cultured on the Spanish Mediterranean coast

Bonamia exitiosa and Bonamia ostreae are parasites that reproduce within the haemocytes of several oyster species. In Europe, the host species is the flat oyster Ostrea edulis. The parasite B. ostreae has been responsible for mortalities since the late 1970s throughout the European Atlantic coast. B. exitiosa was first detected, in 2007, on this continent in flat oysters cultured in Galicia (NW Spain). Since then, the parasite has also been detected in France, Italy and the United Kingdom. The bays of the Ebro Delta in the south of Catalonia represent the main bivalve culture area in the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Previous information from the area includes reports of several flat oyster pathogens, including the notifiable parasite Marteilia refringens. However, the status with regard to Bonamia parasites was uncertain. In the present study, a Bonamia parasite was observed in flat oysters cultured in the Alfacs Bay of the Ebro Delta by histology and real-time PCR. PCR-RFLP and sequencing suggested the presence of B. exitiosa. Finally, phylogenetic analyses of the studied Bonamia isolates corroborated B. exitiosa infection. M. refringens was also observed in the same oyster batch, and co-infection with both parasites was also detected. This is the first detection of B. exitiosa, in Catalonia and the Spanish Mediterranean coast. The impact of the parasite on the Mediterranean flat oyster activity needs to be urgently addressed.     

Further observations on the blood parasites of birds in Uganda

Birds from three National Parks (Bwindi Impenetrable, Kibale, and Queen Elizabeth) in western Uganda were surveyed during the dry season in July 2003 and investigated for hematozoa by microscopic examination of stained blood films. Of 307 birds examined, representing 68 species of 15 families and four orders, 61.9% were found to be infected with blood parasites. Species of Haemoproteus (15.3% prevalence), Plasmodium (20.5%), Leucocytozoon (40.1%), Trypanosoma (11.4%), Hepatozoon (2.6%), Atoxoplasma (0.3%), and microfilariae (3.9%) were recorded. Except for Haemoproteus spp. infections, the overall prevalence of hematozoa belonging to all genera was significantly higher in this study than was previously reported in Uganda. Thirty-six species of birds were examined for blood parasites for the first time and 112 new host-parasite associations were identified. Eighty-one were at the generic and 31 at the specific level of the hematozoa. Hepatozoon and Atoxoplasma spp. were detected for the first time in Uganda.     

Ectoparasites on reintroduced roe deer Capreolus capreolus in Israel

The ectoparasite fauna of reintroduced roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) was surveyed in a Mediterranean forest in Israel. Ectoparasites were collected from four female hand-reared deer during 2004 and 2005. Seasonality, predilection sites of infestation, and the apparent effect of the parasites are presented. This is the first study of roe deer parasites in the East Mediterranean. The ectoparasite fauna included three hippoboscid fly (Lipoptena capreoli, Hippobosca equina, and Hippobosca longipennis), four tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Rhipicephalus turanicus, Rhipicephalus kohlsi, and Hyalomma marginatum), and one unidentified trombiculid mite species. For most of these ectoparasites, this is the first record on roe deer. All ectoparasite species were documented in Israel prior to the reintroduction program; exotic ectoparasites were not detected.