The First Find of Trematodes in the Black Sea Invader Sarpa salpa (Linnaeus, 1758) (Pisces: Teleostei, Sparidae) and Notes on the Ways of Salema Trematode Fauna Formation in This Water Body

The paper reports the first find of trematode, namely, Stephanostomum cesticillus (Molin, 1858) Looss, 1899 metacercariae, from the recent Black Sea invader, the salema Sarpa salpa (Linnaeus, 1758). A single individual of S. salpa caught in the Black Sea near the southwestern coast of the Crimea Peninsula (Sevastopol) was studied. Encysted S. cesticillus larvae were found in the muscles of the gill cavity and in the heart wall of the fish. The morphological description of S. cesticillus metacercariae is provided on the basis of light and scanning electron microscopy data. The ways of formation of the trematode fauna of S. salpa in the Black Sea are discussed. This study contributes to the current knowledge on the trematode parasite systems in the Black Sea.