Table 7. Taxonomic key to Diplectanids on Mycteroperca spp. in the Mediterranean Sea (Fig 14).
Shading of cells applied only for readability.
| 1 | • Male copulatory organ with spines. In Mycteroperca marginata | Echinoplectanum echinophallus | (Fig 14B) |
| • Male copulatory organ a quadriloculate organ without spines | Pseudorhabdosynochus spp. 2 | (Fig 14A) | |
| 2 | • Sclerotised vagina very elongate, thin, total length >60 μm, with accessory structure on proximal end of secondary chamber. In Mycteroperca costae | Pseudorhabdosynochus dolicocolpos | (Fig 14C) |
| • Sclerotised vagina not elongate, total length <60 μm, without accessory structure | 3 | ||
| 3 | • Secondary chamber visible, heavily sclerotized | 4 | |
| • Secondary chamber not visible | 7 | ||
| 4 | • Secondary chamber large and spherical: the “P. riouxi group” | 5 | (Fig 14J–14M) |
| • Secondary chamber small and spherical | 9 | ||
| 5 | • Primary canal very short with wide lumen, opening into proximal limit of primary chamber, primary chamber very small with thick wall. In Mycteroperca costae | Pseudorhabdosynochus bouaini | (Fig 14K) |
| • Primary canal long, opening into distal limit of primary chamber, primary chamber elongate | 6 | ||
| 6 | • Primary canal roughly straight or curved, primary chamber with thick wall. In Mycteroperca costae | Pseudorhabdosynochus enitsuji | (Fig 14J) |
| • Primary canal looped in its proximal or medium portion, primary chamber slightly sclerotized. In Mycteroperca marginata | Pseudorhabdosynochus riouxi | (Fig 14M) | |
| 7 | • Body without squamodiscs. In Mycteroperca costae | Pseudorhabdosynochus sinediscus | (Fig 14H) |
| • Body with two squamodiscs | 8 | ||
| 8 | • Squamodiscs very small, length 20–40 μm, with innermost rows U-shaped. In Mycteroperca rubra | Pseudorhabdosynochus regius | (Fig 14I) |
| • Squamodiscs length >40 μm, with 2 innermost rows forming circles. The ‘beverleyburtonae group’ (Fig 14D–14G) | 9 | ||
| 9 | • Primary canal, S-shaped with wide lumen, leading to proximal limit of primary chamber. In Mycteroperca costae | Pseudorhabdosynochus oliveri | (Fig 14G) |
| • Primary canal, S-shaped with thin lumen, leading to distal limit of primary chamber | 10 | ||
| 10 | • Primary chamber elongate. In Mycteroperca marginata | Pseudorhabdosynochus beverleyburtonae | (Fig 14D) |
| • Primary chamber pear-shaped | 11 | ||
| 11 | • Length of sclerotised vagina 26–58 μm. In Mycteroperca costae | Pseudorhabdosynochus sosia | (Fig 14E) |
| • Length of sclerotised vagina 40–70 μm. In Mycteroperca rubra | Pseudorhabdosynochus hayet | (Fig 14F) |