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).