Checklist of helminth parasites of Striped Red Mullet, Mullus surmuletus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Perciformes: Mullidae), caught in the Bay of Kristel , Algeria (western Mediterranean)

Abstract

This investigation on the parasitic biodiversity of Striped Red Mullet, Mullus surmuletus, revealed the presence of 14 parasite species, including seven species of Digenea, four species of Nematoda, two species of Acanthocephala, and one Cestoda. Opecoelides furcatus and Proctotrema bacilliovatum are the most prevalent digenean species, present in 70% and 17% of the fish specimens analyzed, respectively. Concerning nematode species, Hysterothylacium fabri, Ascarophis valentina and Cucullanus longicollis have shown a prevalence of 66%, 17% and 8% respectively, among all specimens of M. surmuletus analyzed.