Philometra barbata n. sp. (Nematoda: Philometridae) from the red mullet Mullus barbatus (Perciformes, Mullidae) off Tunisia

Abstract

Helminthological examinations of the red mullet Mullus barbatus (Linnaeus) (Mullidae) from the Gulf of Hammamet, off Tunisia, revealed the presence of one undescribed gonad-infecting nematode species, Philometra barbata n. sp. (Philometridae). The new species as other congeneric species is mainly characterized by the shape of the caudal mound, the distribution of the caudal papillae and the shape of the gubernaculum with the presence of a dorsal protuberance consisting of two dorsolateral lamellar parts separated from each other by a smooth median field in the male. The new species differs from its gonadinfecting congeners in the body length of male, the length of spicules and gubernaculum. This is the second nominal species of Philometra reported from fishes of the family Mullidae and the 14th from the Mediterranean Sea.