New species of the Monocotylidae (Monogenea) from the stingray Dasyatis tortonesi Capapé (Euselachii, Dasyatidae) off the Tunisian coast, with comments on host-specificity and the specific identities of Mediterranean stingrays.

Heterocotyle capapei n. sp. and Thaumatocotyle tunisiensis n. sp. are described from the gills and the nasal cavity, respectively, of Dasyatis tortonesi collected from the Tunisian coast. H. capapei is distinguished from other species in the genus by the morphology of the penis, which is conical and has a long narrow distal point. T. tunisiensis differs from all known species of Thaumatocotyle by the shape and size of the penis. The host Dasyatis tortonesi has long been confused with D. pastinaca. Our study shows that their monogeneans are oioxenic, suggesting that D. pastinaca and D. tortonesi are distinct species. These results suggest that the monogenean parasite fauna could be used as a diagnostic tool for species identification: these parasites may, therefore, represent good biological indicators. The host-specificity of the Heterocotylinae and Merizocotylinae is discussed.