Biological Diversity and Parasitological Peculiarities of Myxosporea (Cnidaria, Myxozoa) Infecting Merluccius Merluccius (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Sea of Marmara

This study presents the second global record of Pseudalataspora vanderlingeni since its original description, representing the first report of both the species and the genus Pseudalataspora in Turkish waters. Additionally, a new Ceratomyxa taxon from the same region in Turkish waters was also documented. Together with the previous reports, the results in this study suggest that P. vanderlingeni is a common myxozoan parasite of Merluccius species along the southern Atlantic coasts of Africa, with its range extending into the Mediterranean Sea and surrounding waters. Additionally, this study also presents Ceratomyxa as one of the possible common myxozoan parasites of Merluccius species in the Mediterranean and adjacent seas.