168749 20260217214838.0 doi 10.1016/j.vprsr.2022.100805 sideral 148081 ART-2022-148081 eng Ruiz-Arrondo, Ignacio Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0001-8198-8118 First record of the mermithid nematode worm Isomermis lairdi parasitizing black flies in Spain 2022 Mermithid nematodes are considered a promising biological control agent to reduce the population density of different blood-feeding vectors, i.e. black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae), which are important pests of medical and veterinary interest worldwide. Immature larvae of black flies were collected in a rill from La Rioja (Northern Spain) in the summer of 2016. Isomermis lairdi Mondet, Poinar & Bernadou, 1977 (Nematoda: Mermithidae) was found parasitizing eleven specimens of Simulium cryophilum s.l. (Rubtsov, 1959) (prevalence of 52%), which represent the first record of this nematode for Spain and the second for Europe. The confirmation of the nematode and the black fly species was carried out by both morphological and molecular approaches using the 18S ribosomal RNA and the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I genes. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that the collected specimens were Isomermis lairdi (99.4–99.9% identity with homologues from Africa) with a sequence divergence of 0.2%. The role of Isomermis lairdi as an alternative tool in the biological control of black flies in Spain should be further explored. Access copy available to the general public Unrestricted info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess All rights reserved http://www.europeana.eu/rights/rr-f/ 0.45 2022 Veterinary (miscellaneous) 2022 Q2 Parasitology 2022 Q3 2.6 2022 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion Arcos, Susana C. González, Mikel A. Mejías-Ortiz, Miguel Hernando, Oscar Soriano Oteo, José Antonio Parreira, Ricardo Navas, Alfonso 1009 773 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. Patología Animal Área Sanidad Animal 36 (2022), 100805 [4 p.] Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports 2405-9390 276677 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/168749/files/texto_completo.pdf Postprint 903150 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/168749/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon icon Postprint oai:zaguan.unizar.es:168749 articulos driver 2026-02-17-20:14:51 ARTICLE