| Summary: | The red mullet, Mullus barbatus, is a fish of great commercial value with a wide distribution in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. However, the helminthfauna of the red mullet in Spain has been poorly studied and the potential parasitological risk for humans due to this fish remains almost unknown. With the aim to provide more information on the helminth community of this fish, 100 specimens caught in the Mediterranean Sea between January and May 2012 and acquired at various supermarkets near the city of València (Spain) were analysed. Helminths were identified based on morphological criteria. 50.0% of the specimens were parasitized by at least one of the six helminth species identified: three Digenea (Opecoeloides furcatus, Proctoeces maculatus and Aponorus laguncula); two Nematoda larvae (Anisakis simplex sensu lato and Hysterothylacium spp.) and one Acanthocephala (Echinorhynchus gadi). All helminths were present in viscera, while Hysterothylacium spp. were the only species found, always dead, in the flesh after artificial digestion. Thus, consumption of the red mullet does not imply a great risk of human parasitism. Although only a small number of helminth species was encountered, this is the first evidence of the presence of two of these species parasitizing M. barbatus from the Mediterranean.
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