Family Mesometridae Poche, 1926

Abstract

[Extract] The family Mesometridae Poche, 1926 is a small family of five genera, currently comprising seven species from the digestive tract of marine teleost fishes. The major characteristics of mesometrids are: the absence of a ventral sucker; the anterior region of the ventral surface, or all of it, is concave, acting as an accessory attachment organ since the mucosal surface of the host is smooth (Bartoli, 1987); and the excretory system is reticular. Their hosts are fishes of the families Sparidae and Acanthuridae. Most records arc from the Mediterranean Sea, but mesometrids have also been reported from the Atlantic (Canary Islands and South Africa) and the Pacific (Japan and Fiji) (Manter, 1963c; Gijon Botella & Lopez, 1989; Machida & Uchida, 1990; Bray, 1984).