[Acanthobothrium minus n. sp. (Tetraphyllidea: Onchobotriidae) parasite of Raja asterias (Elasmobranchii: Rajidae) in Mediterranean Sea].

Among tetraphyllidean cestodes, parasitic in the spiral valve of Raja asterias Delaroche, colected from Algerian coasts, we obtained an onchobothriid of the genus Acanthobothrium, differing from all species of Acanthobothrium previously reported from Rajidae from Mediterranea and european Atlantic coast. This Cestode is characterized by its very small size (1-2 mm), its number of segments of the strobila (4-8), the morphology and size of hooks, the limited number (17-25) of testes and ovarian morphology. Together, these features places this Acanthobothrium in group "2" as defined by Ghoshroy & Caira (2001). We describe this onchobothriid as Acanthobothrium minus n. sp.