First evidence of Flamingolepis liguloides in parthenogenetic Artemia from a Mediterranean hypersaline lagoon (Salina dei Monaci, Apulia, Italy)

Hypersaline ecosystems host simplified yet highly structured food webs, in which Artemia plays a central ecological role, including serving as an intermediate host for several avian cestodes.Flamingolepis liguloides is among the most widespread parasites associated with Artemia worldwide; however, its presence in Italy has not been confirmed since early reports from Sardinia in the 1990s.Here, we provide the first documented evidence of F. liguloides infecting parthenogenetic Artemia in the hypersaline lagoon of Salina dei Monaci (Apulia, Italy).Host and parasite identities were confirmed through an integrative approach combining morphological analyses with molecular data, including newly generated 18S and 28S rDNA sequences, the latter providing novel molecular information for the parasite.Among the 254 brine shrimp examined, prevalence reached 93.3%, with a mean abundance of 7.3 ± 10.1 cysticercoids and up to 73 larvae in a single host.Parasite abundance was positively correlated with host body size, consistent with cumulative exposure and size-dependent https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182026102194