A molecular and ecological study of Grillotia (Cestoda: Trypanorhyncha) larval infection in small to mid-sized benthonic sharks in the Gulf of Naples, Mediterranean Sea

Abstract

Trypanorhyncha cestodes comprise a wide range of heteroxenous parasites infecting elasmobranchs as definitive hosts. Limited data exist on the larval infection of these cestodes and the role of intermediate and paratenic hosts in the life cycle of these parasites. We investigated the factors that determine the occurrence and the level of infection of Grillotia plerocerci in the skeletal muscles of various benthonic sharks and analyzed the parasites through an integrative taxonomic approach.