Insular stock identification of <EM>Serranus atricauda</EM> (Pisces: Serranidae) through the presence of <EM>Ceratothoa steindachneri</EM> (Isopoda, Cymothoidae) and <EM>Pentacapsula cutanea</EM> (Myxozoa, Pentacapsulidae) in the Canary Islands

Ceratothoa steindachneri (Isopoda: Cymothoidae) and Pentacapsula cutanea (Myxozoa: Pentacapsulidae) parasites infecting the blacktail-comber ( Serranus atricauda ) were considered suitable as biological tags for stock identification around the islands of La Palma and Gran Canaria, in the Western and Eastern areas of the Canarian archipelago, respectively. The ecological parameters of both species differed significantly between the islands. While individuals caught off La Palma showed a high degree of infection by the isopod, a single infected fish was found off Gran Canaria. Also, the myxozoans showed a high level of infection on fish from Gran Canaria but it was reported on only a single s…