n. sp. (Nematoda: Philometridae), a new muscle-infecting species in the Mediterranean moray () revealed using integrative taxonomy.

Abstract

Yamaguti, 1935 is a genus of dracunculoid nematodes of the family Philometridae Baylis & Daubney, 1926 comprising tissue-infecting species worldwide. In the present study, a new species ofis described from the Tyrrhenian Sea (central-western Mediterranean Sea) using integrative approaches such as light and scanning microscopy, histopathology and 18S rRNA sequencing.n. sp. found in the skeletal muscles of the Mediterranean moraycan be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of morphological traits and in particular by having the oral aperture with 3 large sclerotized triangular oesophageal teeth. The molecular analyses and phylogenetic reconstructions support its status as a new taxon and placed it within a clade of tissue-infecting species, although also confirmed mismatches in the generic assignment of several species.n. sp. is the second species of the genus found in the Mediterranean Sea and in general in the European marine waters and the third species of the family known to infect the family Muraenidae.