Molecular and morphological identification of Cardicola (Trematoda: Aporocotylidae) eggs in hatchery-reared and migratory Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus L.)

This is the very first parasitological study conducted in T. thynnus born in captivity and cultured local in the Mediterranean. The results show that once transferred to the sea for fattening, they are at risk of infection with up to three different species of the genus Cardicola. These results strongly imply a Mediterranean distribution of these species.