Our knowledge of trematode diversity in Mediterranean Sea fishes is based on many contributions since the early 1800s (e.g. by Rudolphi, Stossich, Looss, Bartoli, Bray and Gibson). We have updated data from the Natural History Museum Host-Parasite Database and listed 302 digenean trematode species allocated to 146 genera in 29 families from 192 fish species (27% of the known fish-fauna) belonging to 76 families. The most diverse (with 31-41 species) digenean families (Opecoelidae Ozaki, 1925, Didymozoidae Monticelli, 1888 and Hemiuridae Looss, 1899) represent more than a third of the total richness (36% of species) and have been most frequently recorded (43% of the records). The overall mean number of species per host is close to recent global estimates for digenean richness in teleosts (1.57 vs 2.04, respectively), indicating a high diversity in the Mediterranean. The most diverse host families are also the best studied. However, three speciose host families (Rajidae de Blainville, Gobiidae Cuvier and Myctophidae Gill) appear under-studied and no digenean reports exist for 94 of 169 fish families present in the Mediterranean. Thus, although Mediterranean fishes appear well studied, further efforts are needed. Nevertheless, the descriptions of a large number of new taxa since 2000 indicate that focused efforts have resulted in a high discovery rate (2.4 species per year). Many of these new (often cryptic) taxa are the result of combined morphological and molecular methods, which promise more reliable estimates of digenean diversity in this region. We provide host-parasite lists for 192 species of fish in the Mediterranean comprising 890 host-parasite associations.

Department of Life Sciences Natural History Museum Cromwell Road London SW7 5BD UK

Institut Cavanilles de Biodiversitat i Biologia Evolutiva Parc Científic Universitat de València P O Box 22085 46071 Valencia Spain

Institute of Parasitology Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences Branišovská 31 370 05 České Budějovice Czech Republic

See more in PubMed

Int J Parasitol. 2014 Oct 15;44(12):929-39 PubMed

Syst Parasitol. 2001 Oct;50(2):91-9 PubMed

Parasitology. 2006 Aug;133(Pt 2):217-27 PubMed

Parasitol Int. 2008 Dec;57(4):472-82 PubMed

Syst Parasitol. 2012 Jul;82(3):185-99 PubMed

Syst Parasitol. 2014 Feb;87(2):127-34 PubMed

Syst Parasitol. 2011 Jun;79(2):145-59 PubMed

Parasitol Res. 2002 Mar;88(3):230-41 PubMed

Parasite. 2012 May;19(2):129-35 PubMed

Syst Parasitol. 2007 Feb;66(2):137-57 PubMed

Syst Parasitol. 2001 Jul;49(3):159-88 PubMed

Syst Parasitol. 2014 Jul;88(3):233-44 PubMed

Parasitol Int. 2011 Jan;60(1):34-44 PubMed

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Aug 12;105 Suppl 1:11482-9 PubMed

Syst Parasitol. 2009 Mar;72(3):207-15 PubMed

Parasitol Int. 2009 Sep;58(3):263-9 PubMed

Syst Parasitol. 2012 Mar;81(3):169-86 PubMed

Parasitol Int. 2008 Sep;57(3):405-14 PubMed

Syst Parasitol. 2015 Jul;91(3):211-29 PubMed

Int J Parasitol. 2001 May 15;31(7):706-14 PubMed

New molecular and morphological data for opecoelid digeneans in two Mediterranean sparid fishes with descriptions of Macvicaria gibsoni n. sp. and M. crassigula (Linton, 1910) (sensu stricto)