On the crustacean hosts of larval acanthocephalan parasites of fishes from a coastal lagoon of River Po Delta.

ABSTRACT

A total of 4664 crustaceans of 2 species of gammarids (Gammarus insensibilis Stock, G. aequicauda Martynon) were collected and examined in search of larval helminth parasites. Larvae of Telosentis exiguus Von Linstow 1901 (Acanthocephala) were found in 6 out of 2806 G. insensibilis so far examined. This is the first record of an intermediate host for T. exiguus, of which a definitive host in Italy has already been indicated by us in Atherina boyeri.