Fish (Elasmobranchia and Actinopterygii) inhabit the majority of aquatic habitats globally. They are crucial for human nutrition but they may be negatively affected by parasitic protists and metazoan parasites. Fish parasites are also an extraordinary group of animals because of their ecological and evolutionary importance and unique adaptations to parasitism. They also play a key role in ecosystem functioning. In the present special issue, 13 review and research articles on major groups of fish parasites are provided to document the current advancement in our understanding of different aspects of their biology, ecology and associations with their fish hosts. The existing gaps in our knowledge of these peculiar animals are mapped and future trends in their research outlined.

Institute of Parasitology Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences České Budějovice Czech Republic

University of Ferrara Ferrara Italy

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Bartholomew JL, Alexander JD, Hallett SL, Alama-Bermejo G and Atkinson SD (2022) Ceratonova shasta – a cnidarian parasite of annelids and salmonids. Parasitology 149, 1862–1875. doi: 10.1017/S0031182022001275 PubMed DOI PMC

Bosi G, Maynard BJ, Pironi F and Sayyaf Dezfuli B (2022) Parasites and the neuroendocrine control of fish intestinal function: an ancient struggle between pathogens and host. Parasitology 149, 1842–1861. doi: 10.1017/S0031182022001160 PubMed DOI PMC

Buchmann K (2022) Control of parasitic diseases in aquaculture. Parasitology 149, 1985–1997. doi: 10.1017/S0031182022001093 PubMed DOI PMC

Dalrymple KM, de Buron I, Hill-Spanik KM, Galloway AS, Barker A, Portnoy DS, Frazier BS and Boeger WA (2022) Hexabothriidae and Monocotylidae (Monogenoidea) from the gills of neonate hammerhead sharks (Sphyrnidae) Sphyrna gilberti, Sphyrna lewini, and their hybrids from the western North Atlantic ocean. Parasitology 149, 1910–1927. doi: 10.1017/S0031182022001007 PubMed DOI PMC

Giari L, Castaldelli G and Timi JT (2022) Ecology and effects of metazoan parasites of fish in transitional waters. Parasitology 149, 1829–1841. doi: 10.1017/S0031182022001068 PubMed DOI PMC

Hallett SL and Bartholomew JL (2012) Myxobolus cerebralis and Ceratomyxa shasta. In Woo PTK and Buchmann K (eds), Fish Parasites: Pathobiology and Protection. Wallingford, UK: CABI, pp. 131–162.

Levsen A, Cipriani P, Palomba M, Giulietti L, Storesund JE and Bao M (2022) Anisakid parasites (Nematoda: Anisakidae) in three commercially important gadid fish species from the southern Barents Sea, with emphasis on key infection drivers and spatial distribution within the hosts. Parasitology 149, 1942–1957. doi: 10.1017/S0031182022001305 PubMed DOI PMC

Pereira FB and González-Solís D (2022) Review of the parasitic nematodes of marine fishes from off the American continent. Parasitology 149, 1928–1941. doi: 10.1017/S0031182022001287 PubMed DOI PMC

Pernett SCD, Brant SV and Locke SA (2022) First integrative study of the diversity and specificity of metacercariae of Posthodiplostomum Dubois, 1936 from native and introduced fishes in the Caribbean. Parasitology 149, 1894–1909. doi: 10.1017/S0031182022001214 PubMed DOI PMC

Poulin R and McDougall C (2022) Fish-parasite interaction networks reveal latitudinal and taxonomic trends in the structure of host-parasite associations. Parasitology 149, 1815–1821. doi: 10.1017/S0031182022000944 PubMed DOI PMC

Rock SL, Watz J, Nilsson PA and Österling M (2022) Effects of parasitic freshwater mussels on their host fishes: a review. Parasitology 149, 1958–1975. doi: 10.1017/S0031182022001226 PubMed DOI PMC

Sabadel AJM, Cresson P, Finucci B and Bennett J (2022) Unravelling the trophic interaction between a parasitic barnacle (Anelasma squalicola) and its host Southern lanternshark (Etmopterus granulosus) using stable isotopes. Parasitology 149, 1976–1984. doi: 10.1017/S0031182022001299 PubMed DOI PMC

Scholz T and Kuchta R (2022) Fish tapeworms (Cestoda) in the molecular era: achievements, gaps and prospects. Parasitology 149, 1876–1893. doi: 10.1017/S0031182022001202 PubMed DOI PMC

Selzer PM and Epe C (2021) Antiparasitics in animal health: quo vadis? Trends in Parasitology 37, 77–89. PubMed

Sures B and Nachev M (2022) Effects of multiple stressors in fish: how parasites and contaminants interact. Parasitology 149, 1822–1828. doi: 10.1017/S0031182022001172 PubMed DOI PMC

Williams H and Jones A (1994) Parasitic Worms of Fish. London, UK: Taylor & Francis.

Woo PT (ed.) (2006) Fish Diseases and Disorders. Wallingford, UK: CABI.

Woo PT and Buchmann K (eds) (2012) Fish Parasites: Pathobiology and Protection. Wallingford, UK: CABI.