Additional records of Beryx splendens (Osteichthyes: Berycidae) from the Mediterranean Sea, with notes on molecular phylogeny and parasites

The fifth and sixth documented occurrences of the splendid alfonsino Beryx splendens from the Mediterranean Sea are reported. One female and one male adult specimen were captured off the Cilento coast, Tyrrhenian Sea in July 2007 and July 2010, respectively. Analyses of mitochondrial DNA (control region) confirmed the morphological identification and revealed a 1\u20132% sequence divergence with North-eastern Atlantic populations of this species. Macroscopic and microscopic analysis of the gonads showed ripe ovary and testes in both individuals. Two giant red shrimps Aristeomorpha foliacea and beaks of the cephalopod Histioteuthis bonnellii were found in the stomachs of the female and male, respectively. Two species of parasites were found: the third-stage larvae of the nematode Anisakis physeteris in the body cavity of both individuals, and spores of the myxozoan Ceratomyxa maxima in the gallbladder of the male. The genetic analysis showed a high level of gene flow between Mediterranean and North-eastern Atlantic samples, and the biological and parasitological data suggested that B. splendens may be established in the western Mediterranean in small populations relegated to deep-sea submarine rises