Metacestodes of Elasmobranch Tapeworms in Octopus vulgaris (Mollusca, Cephalopoda) from Central Mediterranean-SEM and Molecular Data.

ABSTRACT: Cephalopods are intermediate/paratenic hosts in the life cycle of elasmobranch tapeworms, nevertheless most records of infection in this group of mollusks are outdated and fragmentary. The present work aimed to investigate the cestode fauna of the common octopus Octopus vulgaris from the Tyrrhenian Sea (Central Mediterranean). The parasitic stages were characterized by light and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and sequencing of 28S rDNA. Three cestode taxa were identified to the genus level: the onchoproteocephalidean Acanthobothrium sp. (prevalence 28%), the "tetraphyllidean" Anthobothrium sp. (prevalence 13%) and the trypanorhynch Nybelinia sp. (prevalence 3%). The remarkable prevalence observed for gastrointestinal cestodes highlight a possible important r

SUBMITTER: Tedesco P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7694287 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature