Monogenean host specificity as a biological and taxonomic indicator for fish Original Research Article

The biological significance of host specificity among Monogenea parasitizing freshwater fish and their use as biological markers are discussed. The marking of host species by strictly host-specific Monogenea is dealt with first; the limits of this taxonomic marking are discussed, particularly in cases when parasite specificity is not entirely strict. The significance of biological marking by these parasites is then looked at from the evolutionary viewpoint — microevolutionary in the case of host hybridization, and macroevolutionary for the indication of phylogenetic relationships through host-parasite coevolution. The possibility of using the Monogenea of endemic north Mediterranean freshwater fish as ecological and biogeographical indicators is raised.