Occurrence of acanthocephalans in Teleost fishes of Gemlik Bay, Sea of Marmara, Turkey

The fish acanthocephalan fauna of Turkish waters is poorly known. In this study 8 fish species (Merluccius merluccius, Trachurus trachurus, Uranoscopus scaber, Gobius niger, G. cobitis, Scorpaena scrofa, Eutrigla gurnardus, Solea vulgaris) were collected from Gemlik Bay and examined for their acanthocephalan fauna. Four species not previously recorded in fish of Turkish waters were found: Solearhynchus soleae (Echinorhynchidae), Acanthhocephaloides propinquus, Paracanthocephaloides kostylewi (Arhythmacanthidae), and Longicollum pagrosomi (Pomphorhynchidae). The most common species was A. propinquus, a parasite that infects mostly gobiids (G. niger, G. cobitis). Longicollum pagrosomi was a new record for the Mediterranean basin.