Redescription and molecular characterization of Mothocya parvostis Bruce, 1986 (Crustacea: Isopoda: Cymothoidae) parasitic on Japanese halfbeak, Hyporhamphus sajori (Temminck & Schlegel, 1846) (Hemiramphidae) with Mothocya sajori Bruce, 1986 placed into synonymy.

Two species of Mothocya have previously been recorded from Hyporhamphus sajori: M. parvostis Bruce, 1986 and M. sajori Bruce, 1986. Mothocya parvostis is re-described based on the ovigerous female type and additional materials collected from the host from in and around the type locality. Morphological re-examination of fresh specimens and the type materials together with genetic data show that the M. sajori and M. parvostis are the same species, differing primarily in size, therefore we have placed Mothocya sajori Bruce, 1986 into a junior synonym of Mothocya parvostis Bruce, 1986. Mothocya parvostis is characterized by the following combinations of characters: 1) body slightly to moderately twisted to one side; 2) pereonite 7 posterior margin moderately to deeply recessed; 3) uropodal rami extending to pleotelson posterior margin; and 4) uropod rami bluntly rounded, exopod 1.5 times as long as peduncle. The differences of four morphological features for M. parvostis and M. sajori was quantified. Furthermore, a total of 635 isopods infesting H. sajori were collected from all over Japan to conduct quantitative morphological and molecular sequence analyses (mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and 16S rRNA). Although the four quantitative features did not overlap between the two species in type specimens, all quantitative morphological values of newly collected specimens in this study did not display a bimodal distribution. In addition, our molecular analyses found only a single clade for our newly collected specimens in neighbor-joining tree.

Redescription of Ptychobothrium belones (Dujardin, 1845) (Cestoda: Bothriocephalidea) from needlefishes (Beloniformes: Belonidae) in the Mediterranean Sea.

The bothriocephalidean tapeworm Ptychobothrium belones (Dujardin, 1845) Lönnberg, 1889 is redescribed on the basis of new materials collected from the intestine of the Mediterranean needlefish Tylosurus imperialis (Rafinesque) (Beloniformes: Belonidae) off Tunisia in the central Mediterranean Sea. This species is characterised by a laterally compressed hexagonal to fan-shaped scolex with an apical disc and two well-developed bothria, an oval ovary and numerous testes arranged in lateral and median fields. The typical diagnostic feature of P. belones is the medullary yolk follicles located between the muscle fibres of the internal longitudinal muscles (paramuscular) and the uterine duct strongly sinuous, S-shaped in mature proglottides. New molecular data (partial sequence of nuclear large subunit ribosomal RNA gene) confirmed the close relationship with specimens previously collected by Brabec et al. (2006, 2015) from the banded needlefish Strongylura leiura (Bleeker) off the Maldives, Indian Ocean, but these specimens are most likely another species. Thus, Ptychobothrium belones as previously reported represents most likely more than one species and its cosmopolitan distribution and host specificity revised by Kuchta et al. (2008b) should be revisited. The type material of P. belones was reported as collected in Mediterranean Sea off Sète, France, from Belone belone (Linnaeus); however, this host was probably misidentified, being confused with morphologically similar small specimens of T. imperialis. This study confirms that P. belones is an exclusive parasite of needlefishes (Belonidae) but at least one further species infecting S. leiura may exist.

Morphological and genetic description of two new species of philometrid nematodes (Philometridae) parasitic in needlefishes (Belonidae) from estuaries of Florida, USA.

Two new species of philometrid nematodes (Philometridae) from needlefishes (Belonidae) in Florida are described based on morphological and genetic characteristics: Philometra aequispiculata sp. n. (males and females) collected from the ovary of Strongylura marina (Walbaum) (type host) and Strongylura notata (Poey), and Philometra notatae sp. n. (females) from the swimbladder of S. notata. Both species are described and illustrated based on light and scanning electron microscopical examinations. Morphologically, P. aequispiculata sp. n. differs from all congeners mainly in the unique structure of the distal tip of the gubernaculum, whereas P. notatae sp. n. is mainly characterised by the presence of eight markedly large cephalic papillae of the outer circle in gravid and subgravid females, the body length of the gravid female (54 mm) and by the absence of caudal projections. Molecular characterisation of the new species was assessed from phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) and SSU rRNA small-subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU) sequences among closely related philometrids by way of Bayesian inference. Phylogenetic reconstructions based on COI and SSU sequences show each of the new species comprise discrete ancestor-descendent lineages.

Philometra longa n. sp. (Nematoda: Philometridae), a new parasite from the abdominal cavity of the eastern sea garfish Hyporhamphus australis (Hemiramphidae, Beloniformes) off Australia.

A new nematode species, Philometra longa n. sp. (Philometridae), is described from male and female specimens collected from the body cavity of the marine fish, Hyporhamphus australis (Steindachner) (Hemirhamphidae, Beloniformes) from off the south-eastern coast of Australia. Based on examination by light and scanning electron microscopy, the new species differs from those parasitising other beloniform hosts mainly in the body length (4.69 mm), the length of spicules (141 µm) and the structure of the caudal end and the distal tip of gubernaculum in the male, and in the conspicuously long body (455-560 mm) of the gravid female. Philometra longa n. sp. is the first species of philometrids described from fishes of the family Hemiramphidae. It is the 26th nominal species of philometrids and the 19th species of Philometra so far recorded from Australian marine and brackish waters. Re-examined museum specimens of Philometra sp. from Hyporhamphus melanochir (Valenciennes) off Tasmania, as well as those previously reported from the same host species off the Australian coast, were found to be identical with P. longa sp. n.

Infestation of the Parasitic Isopod Mothocya parvostis on Juveniles of the Black Sea Bream Acanthopagrus schlegelii as an Optional Intermediate Host in Hiroshima Bay.

In Hiroshima Bay, parasitic isopods of the genus Mothocya infest the black sea bream Acanthopagrus schlegelii (Bleeker, 1854) and the Japanese halfbeak Hyporhamphus sajori (Temminck and Schlegel, 1846), two fish species that are abundant and commercially important in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. Immature and mature Mothocya individuals can infect both juveniles and adults of H. sajori, while immature Mothocya are known to parasitize juveniles of A. schlegelii; i.e., no Mothocya parasites are found in adult A. schlegelii. The identification of the immature Mothocya parasitizing juveniles of A. schlegelii remains uncertain, because Mothocya species are morphologically identifiable only based on adult females. Also, the biological/ecological relationship between the hosts and parasites has not been studied. Here, we identified the parasites on A. schlegelii as Mothocya parvostis Bruce, 1986 by molecular sequence analyses along with other parasites obtained from H. sajori, the latter being morphologically confirmed by comparison with paratype materials of M. parvostis as well as the similar congener Mothocya sajori Bruce, 1986. The growth rates of the infected A. schlegelii juveniles from June to September in the years 2013-2015 and 2018 were significantly lower than those of the uninfected ones, suggesting a negative effect of the infection on the hosts. Our data on the prevalence and duration of the infection, as well as the body size gain of the hosts and parasites, corroborate a hypothesis that M. parvostis would utilize A. schlegelii as an optional intermediate host before it reaches the final host, H. sajori.

Morphological and Molecular Description of Rhadinorhynchus hiansi Soota and Bhattacharya, 1981 (Acanthocephala: Rhadinorhynchidae) from Marine Fish off the Pacific Coast of Vietnam.

Rhadinorhynchus hiansi Soota and Bhattacharya, 1981 , has remained unknown since its original incomplete description from 2 male specimens collected from the flat needlefish Ablennes hians Valenciennes (Belonidae) off Trivandrum, Kerala, India. Recent collections of fishes along the Pacific coast of Vietnam in 2016 and 2017 produced many specimens of the same species from the striped bonito Sarda orientalis Temminck and Schlegel (Scombridae) off the southern Pacific coast of Vietnam at Nha Trang. We describe females for the first time, assign a female allotype status, and provide an expanded description of males from a larger collection completing missing information on hooks and hook roots, receptacle, lemnisci, cement glands, Saefftigen's pouch, and trunk spines. Specimens of R. hiansi characteristically have no dorsal spines in the posterior field of trunk spines and a long proboscis with 36-48 dorso-ventrally differentiated proboscis hooks per row becoming progressively smaller posteriorly then increasing in size near the posterior end to a maximum at the posterior-most ring. Trunk, testes, and lemnisci in our specimens were considerably larger than those reported in the original description, but the proboscis was relatively smaller. The females had long reproductive system and corrugated elliptic eggs without polar prolongation of fertilization membrane. Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDXA) demonstrates high levels of calcium and phosphorus in large gallium cut hooks and high levels of sulfur in tip cuts of large and small hooks and in spines. This EDXA pattern is a characteristic fingerprint of R. hiansi. The molecular profile of R. hiansi is described from 18S rDNA and COI genes, and phylogenetic relationships with most closely related species are discussed.

Redescription of Rhadinorhynchus trachuri Harada, 1935 (Acanthocephala: Rhadinorhynchidae) from Marine Fish in Vietnam and California with a Discussion of its Zoogeography.

BACKGROUND: Rhadinorhynchus trachuri Harada, 1935 is probably one of the most widely distributed acanthocephalans in the world, but the least known taxonomically. This report fills the large gap of knowledge about its taxonomy, host relationships, and worldwide distribution in marine fishes of both sides of the Pacific Ocean and the connecting Indian Ocean. PURPOSE: To revisit the taxonomy of this species, provide a more complete morphological description and expand our knowledge about its morphological identity and variations and elaborate on its worldwide zoogeography; accounting for its worldwide distribution based on new collections, museum specimens, and on published reports. METHODS: Specimens from Vietnam were processed, identified, and documented using standard techniques. Specimens of R. trachuri were studied from three species of fish in three families, Auxis thazard (Lacépède) (Scombridae), Megalaspis cordyla (Linn.) (Carangidae), and Tylosurus sp. (Belonidae) in Nha Trang and Binh Thuan in the south Pacific coast of Vietnam and additional museum specimens mostly from salmonids from the Pacific coast of California were also studied. Extensive research was conducted on published records of R. trachuri and its marine fish hosts worldwide. RESULTS: Specimens of R. trachuri are characterized by cylindrical trunk with anterior rings of spines and posterior ventral and lateral spines, a proboscis usually with 12 hook rows each with 19-24 hooks, variable position of testes, and a long uterus, uterine bell attached to the dorsal trunk wall, rounded vagina, and unusually dorsal gonopore. The hosts and geographical distribution of R. trachuri suggest a northern linkage of infections between the Asian and American Pacific populations across the Bering Sea involving salmonid fishes and a southern linkage through the Indian Ocean involving Carangid fishes. Other hosts involved in the cycling and distribution of infections are also discussed with some definitive hosts also serving as paratenic hosts. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first complete description about R. trachuri and the first comprehensive accounting of its worldwide distribution in 19 species of marine fish in seven families. Considerable intraspecific variability related to geographical restrictions, intermediate and definitive host specificity and distribution, and host feeding behavior was documented.

New species of Paracolpenteron n. gen. and Ancyrocephalus (Monogenea, Dactylogyridae) inhabiting the urinary bladder and gills of the Maya needlefish Strongylura hubbsi (Beloniformes, Belonidae) from Chiapas, Mexico.

Parasitological examination of the maya needlefish Strongylura hubbsi Collette (Belonidae) from the Rio Lacantún basin in the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve, Chiapas, Mexico showed that specimens were parasitized by two monogenean species in two different sites: Paracolpenteron hubbsii n. gen., n. sp in the urinary bladder and Ancyrocephalus chiapanensis n. sp in the gill lamellae. Paracolpenteron hubbsii differs from other dactylogyrid species without a haptoral anchor/bar complex infecting the urinary systems, gills and nasal cavities by the general morphology of hooks, a dextral vaginal opening, a tubular male copulatory organ comprising a base from which a coiled shaft arises in counterclockwise direction, and an unarticulated Y-shaped accessory piece. Ancyrocephalus chiapanensis n. sp. resembles Ancyrocephalus cornutus William & Rogers, 1972 from the gills of Strongylura marina from Florida from which it differs in possessing a twisted tube of the male copulatory organ (curved in A. cornutus), ventral bar with cavities on the ends (cavities absent in A. cornutus) and by the size of the ventral (length 31-34 µm vs. 24-27 µm in A. cornutus) and dorsal (length 25-28 µm vs. 18-22 µm in A. cornutus) anchors. These new monogeneans are described herein and their biogeography is briefly discussed based on the previous phylogenetic hypotheses concerning the host family.

Descriptions of Acanthocephalus parallelcementglandatus (Echinorhynchidae) and Neoechinorhynchus (N.) pennahia (Neoechinorhynchidae) (Acanthocephala) from amphibians and fish in Central and Pacific coast of Vietnam, with notes on N. (N.) longnucleatus.

Three species of acanthocephalans are described from fishes caught in the Pacific coast off eastern Vietnam and from amphibians in the midlands in 2016: (1) Acanthocephalus parallelcementglandatus Amin, Heckmann, Ha, 2014 (Echinorhynchidae), described from 1 male specimen is now fully described from males and females collected from 2 species of amphibians, the similar frog Hylarana attigua Inger, Orlov, Darevsky and the odorous frog Odorrana sp. Fei, Ye, Huang (Ranidae) in Huong Thuy, Hue City and Chu Yang Sin Park, central Vietnam, respectively, as well as from the needlefish Tylosurus sp. Cocco (Belonidae) in Binh Thuân in the Pacific South. The allotype female is designated. Neoechinorhynchus (N.) pennahia Amin, Ha, Ha, 2011 described from 1 female specimen is now fully described from males and females collected from the Toli shad (Chinese herring), Tenualosa toli (Valenciennes) (Clupeidae) in the Pacific north coast off Haiphong. The allotype male is designated. One specimen of Neoechinorhynchus (Neoechinorhynchus) longnucleatus Amin, Ha, Ha, 2011 is also reported from the common ponyfish, Leiognathus equulus (Forssskål) (Leiognathidae) in the Pacific south coast of Nha Trang and its ecology briefly discussed.

Three new species of Prosorhynchoides (Digenea: Bucephalidae) from Tylosurus gavialoides (Belonidae) in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia.

We surveyed 30 individuals of Tylosurus gavialoides (Castelnau) (Belonidae) collected from Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia, and describe three new species of Prosorhynchoides Dollfus, 1929 from them. The new species are morphologically distinct from existing Prosorhynchoides spp. and 28S and ITS-2 ribosomal DNA data further supports our morphological findings. We also conduct the first mitochondrial DNA analysis of species of Prosorhynchoides. The new species from T. gavialoides form a strongly supported clade on the basis of the two ribosomal markers, further supporting the emerging hypothesis that bucephaline clades are strongly associated with host groups. We have not observed any of the new species reported here in over 3500 surveyed individuals of other piscivorous fish in Australia, suggesting that these species are host-specific at least to belonids, if not to only T. gavialoides. Our findings support previous reports that suggest that belonids are exceptional hosts for bucephalids. We predict that further sampling of the numerous other belonid species present in Australian waters, for which nothing is known of the bucephalid fauna, will uncover further bucephalid richness.

Two species of Phyllodistomum Braun, 1899 (Trematoda: Gorgoderidae) from Moreton Bay, Australia.

Two species of the trematode genus Phyllodistomum Braun, 1899 (Gorgoderidae) are reported infecting teleost fishes from Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. Phyllodistomum hyporhamphi n. sp. is described from two species of garfishes (Hemiramphidae), Hyporhamphus regularis ardelio (Whitley) and H. australis (Steindachner). The new species differs from other marine species of Phyllodistomum in possessing a forebody length less than half that of the body, a body length to width ratio < 4:1, an oral sucker width to ventral sucker width ratio > 1:1 and < 2:1, 7-9 strong, marginal undulations on each side of the body and large, slightly lobed vitelline masses. Phyllodistomum pacificum Yamaguti, 1951 is reported, for the first time in Australian waters, from Pantolabus radiatus (MacLeay) (Carangidae). The new material agrees closely with the original description of P. pacificum, in Carangoides equula (Temminck & Schlegel) off Hamazima, Mie Prefecture, Japan, although the specimens from Moreton Bay are larger than those of the original description (4,575-5,338 × 1,111-1,328 vs 2,200-3,100 × 570-930 µm). Cetiotrema carangis (Manter, 1947) Manter, 1970 is found to be a synonym of Cetiotrema carangis (MacCallum, 1913) Williams & Bunkley-Williams, 1996 and the species is formally moved to Phyllodistomum as P. carangis (MacCallum, 1913) n. comb. Phylogenetic analyses of 28S rDNA data showed that the six marine species of Phyllodistomum for which molecular data are available form a strongly-supported clade.

Metazoan parasite fauna of migrating common garfish, Belone belone (L.), in the Baltic Sea.

A total of 35 common garfish, Belone belone (Linnaeus, 1761), were studied for metazoan parasites on their spawning grounds in the western Baltic Sea. Nine parasite species were found, and six new locality records could be established for German coastal waters (Axine belones, Monogenea; Proteocephalus sp., Cestoda; Anisakis simplex (s.s.), Contracaecum rudolphii A and Hysterothylacium aduncum, Nematoda; Echinorhynchus gadi, Acanthocephala). For the first time, the marine ectoparasite A. belones was recorded from the gills of garfish inside the Baltic Sea, indicating its ability to survive the spawning migration as well as the brackish water conditions at its reproduction grounds. This is alike the endohelminth A. simplex (s.s.), that was identified by molecular analyses of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS-1, 5.8S, ITS-2) region. Almost all isolated metazoans were parasites commonly recorded from the northeast Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. The lower number of typical generalist Baltic Sea parasites indicates the rapid migration of common garfish onto the spawning grounds, reducing the access and uptake of these species.

Two new and one known species of Tergestia Stossich, 1899 (Trematoda: Fellodistomidae) with novel molecular characterisation for the genus.

Combined morphological and molecular analyses are employed to characterise three species of Tergestia Stossich, 1899 (Digenea: Fellodistomidae) from fishes of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. Tergestia clonacantha Manter, 1963 is reported here for the first time from the halfbeak (Beloniformes: Hemiramphidae) species Arrhamphus sclerolepis krefftii (Steindachner), Hyporhamphus australis (Steindachner), H. quoyi (Valenciennes) and H. regularis ardelio (Whitley). Two new species, both infecting trevally (Perciformes: Carangidae) species, are described: T. maryae n. sp. from Alepes apercna Grant and T. henryi n. sp. from Pantolabus radiatus (MacLeay). Complete ITS2 and partial 28S ribosomal DNA data were generated for each of the new taxa. The three species differ from each other by 47-58 base pairs (bp) in the ITS2 rDNA region. Phylogenetic analysis of 28S rDNA supports Tergestia as a reliable generic concept, with our analyses showing that some species of the genus form a well-supported clade to the exclusion of all other fellodistomids for which sequence data are available.

[Infection of the pacific saury Cololabis saira by acanthocephalans in the Kuril Islands area].

The Pacific saury Cololabis saira (Brevoort, 1856) is one of the important target species of commercial fisheries. Food manufacturers and consumers encounter problems due to the infection of the saury by acanthocephalans, which are quite difficult to clean out completely during on-board catch processing. Infection of C. saira was not studied on a regular basis, therefore, our knowledge about the parasites of saury is fragmentary. This paper contains infection indices (only acanthocephalans) of the Pacific saury caught in the Kuril Islands area (Russian Exclusive Economic Zone) in 2015.

Axinoides euzeti n. sp. (Monogenea: Axinidae) from the gills of the needlefish Tylosurus acus imperialis (Rafinesque) (Belonidae) off Tunisia, with an updated list of hosts and localities for Axinoides spp.

A new axinid monogenean species, Axinoides euzeti n. sp. from the gills of the Mediterranean needlefish Tylosurus acus imperialis (Rafinesque) off the Tunisian coast is described. The new species is most similar in general morphology to A. meservei Price, 1946 from Tylosurus crocodilus fodiator Jordan & Gilbert off the Atlantic Ocean and to A. kola Unnithan, 1957 from Ablennes hians (Valenciennes) off the Indian Ocean. It can be differentiated from A. meservei by the shape of anterior male genital complex armed with several rows of curved spines on the cirrus rather than 3 to 4 rows of slender spines, in having a fewer testes (87-94 vs more than 100 in the drawing of A. meservei) and a body size twice longer than wide. It differs also from A. kola which have a single row of small spines in the cirrus, in having fewer and wider clamps and fewer and smaller testes. A. euzeti represents the first record of a representative of this genus in the Mediterranean Sea. In addition, taxonomic keys and an updated list of hosts and geographic localities for Axinoides species is presented.

Mothocya renardi (Bleeker, 1857) (Crustacea: Isopoda: Cymothoidae) parasitising Strongylura leiura (Bleeker) (Belonidae) off the Malabar coast of India: Redescription, occurrence and life-cycle.

Mothocya renardi (Bleeker, 1857), a protandrically hermaphroditic cymothoid, parasitising the banded needle fish Strongylura leiura (Bleeker) from the Malabar Coast, India is redescribed and morphological data for different life-cycle stages [male, transitional and ovigerous female, larvae (pre-manca and manca) and juvenile] are provided. Mothocya renardi exhibited strict oligoxenous host specificity by infesting only S. leiura and showed high prevalence levels (reaching up to 92%). The life-cycle of M. renardi comprises three major phases (marsupial phase, free living phase and infestive phase). The marsupial phase comprised one zygotic, three embryonic and two larval stages, all of which remained in the marsupium until the final staged manca is released into the surrounding water. After having led a short free- swimming life, the manca infested the branchial cavity of the host fish, S. leiura. Subsequently it was transformed successively into juvenile, male, transitional and finally functional female through biphasic moult which occurs in between each stage. Based on the presence (or absence) of a brood pouch and/or marsupiumites, six successive stages of the female population were also identified. These data will help precise identification of the female M. renardi irrespective of their stage. The present paper also discusses the host-parasite interactions between S. leiura and M. renardi.

Sclerodistomoides pacificus Kamegai, 1971 (Sclerodistomoididae Gibson & Bray, 1979) and Tetrochetus coryphaenae Yamaguti, 1934 (Accacoeliidae Odhner, 1911), two rarely reported digeneans from Tylosurus acus imperialis (Rafinesque) (Belonidae), and a list of helminth parasites of Tylosurus acus (Lacépède).

Two rarely reported digenean parasites are redescribed: Sclerodistomoides pacificus Kamegai, 1971 (Sclerodistomoididae Gibson & Bray, 1979) from the gall bladder and Tetrochetus coryphaenae Yamaguti, 1934 (Accacoeliidae Odhner, 1911) from the digestive tract of the Mediterranean needlefish Tylosurus acus imperialis (Rafinesque) off Tunisia. Sclerodistomoides pacificus and T. coryphaenae represent new host and geographical records for T. a. imperialis off the Tunisian coast. A complete list of the helminth parasites found in T. a. imperialis and those reported from other subspecies of Tylosurus acus (Lacépède) throughout their wide distributional range is presented. It includes data for T. a. acus (Lacépède), T. a. imperialis, T. a. melanotus (Bleeker) and T. a. rafale Collette & Parin and comprises 46 parasite taxa. Among these, 15 species were recorded from T. a. imperialis off Tunisia.

Two new axinid species (Monogenea: Axinidae) from the Pharao flyingfish Cypselurus naresii (Günther) (Beloniformes: Exocoetidae) in the Gulf of Tonkin off Vietnam.

A total of 21 Pharao flyingfish Cypselurus naresii (Günther) from the Gulf of Tonkin off Vietnam was examined for monogeneans. Ten individuals were parasitised by 72 specimens of two new axinid species of two rare and little known genera, Unnithanaxine Price, 1962 containing only one species, U. parawa (Unnithan, 1957), and Loxuroides Price, 1962 containing two species, L. sasikala (Unnithan, 1957) and L. fungilliformis Zhang, Ding, Liu & Wang, 1999. Unnithanaxine naresii n. sp. and Loxuroides pricei n. sp. are described and differentiated from the related species. Unnithanaxine naresii n. sp. is morphologically similar to U. parawa but is distinguished by the size of the clamps and reproduction organs, the number of spines in the lateral groups of the genital atrium, and in parasitism in a host fish species of a different genus. Loxuroides pricei n. sp. differs from L. fungilliformis in the greater size of the body, the number of clamps, testes, spines on cirrus and genital atrium, and in parasitism in a different host family. Similarly, L. pricei can be separated from L. sasikala in having a shorter distance from the anterior extremity to genital atrium or vaginal region, fewer testes, and a slightly greater number of spines on cirrus and genital atrium.

Morphometrics and levels of infections of digeneans in belonid fish species off the coast of Tunisia.

Three species of belonid fish, Belone belone gracilis Lowe, 1839, Belone svetovidovi Collette & Parin, 1970 and Tylosurus acus imperialis (Rafinesque, 1810), caught off the eastern Tunisian coast were infected with eight species of Digenea. Among these, four species were commonly found in B. b. gracilis and are new host records for B. svetovidovi. They are: Lecithostaphylus retroflexus (Molin, 1859), Tergestia acanthocephala (Stossich, 1887) Stossich, 1899 and Aponurus laguncula Looss, 1907 in the intestine, and the metacercaria Condylocotyla pilodora Pearson and Prévot, 1985 in the pericardial sac. Four other digenean species were recorded from T. a. imperialis: Lecithostaphylus tylosuri Châari et al., 2013 and Tetrochetus coryphaenae Yamaguti, 1934 in the intestine, Oesophagotrema mediterranea Châari et al., 2011 in the oesophagus and vomer teeth, and Sclerodistomoides pacificus Kamegai, 1971 in the gall bladder. Tetrochetus coryphaenae and S. pacificus represent new host and geographical records. The spatial variation of digenean parasites within belonid host species is discussed.

A review of the genus Neoechinorhynchus (Acanthocephala:Neoechinorhynchidae) from Australia with the description of two new species.

Abstract Eight species of Neoechinorhynchus were reported from Australian waters. Neoechinorhynchus vittiformis n. sp. is described from Eleutheronema tetradactylum (Shaw). It can be distinguished from all its congeners by the following combination of characters: long cylindrical trunk without cuticular plaques, globular proboscis, proboscis armature with the anterior circle of hooks larger with simple roots and the middle and posterior hooks the same size and smaller, short neck, lemnisci nearly equal, almost reaching the anterior testis which is more than half the length of the posterior testis. Neoechinorhynchus (Neoechinorhynchus) bryanti n. sp., described from Liza subviridis (Valenciennes), also with an elongated trunk, can be distinguished from its congeners by the combination of a wider anterior trunk without cuticular plaques, a relatively long conical neck, a subglobular proboscis having anterior hooks with manubria, the hooks becoming gradually smaller posteriorly, the lemnisci not reaching level of testes and the anterior testis being longer than posterior testis. Neoechinorhynchus sp. resembled Neoechinorhynchus aldrichettae Edmonds, 1971 but had a rectangular-shaped proboscis with larger anterior hooks. New host and locality records were presented for N. aldrichettae, Neoechinorhynchus (Hebesoma) agilis (Rudolphi) and Neoechinorhynchus tylosuri Yamaguti, 1939 . No additional specimens of either Neoechinorhynchus ningalooensis Pichelin and Cribb, 2001 or the species inquirenda, Neoechinorhynchus magnus Southwell and Macfie, 1925, were available for study. Of the 8 putative species listed here, 5 (N. [N.] bryanti, N. magnus , N. ningalooensis, N. vittiformis, and Neoechinorhynchus sp.) are endemic to Australian waters. By comparison with the North American fauna the Australian fauna was considered impoverished. The morphological and zoogeographical similarities within the group of 8 long, slender neoechinorhynchid species found in the African, Indo Malayan, and Western Pacific Regions, including the 3 found in Australia, may reflect a degree of evolutionary affinity.