Protozan and metazoan parasites of the eel anguilla anguilla, L. 1758 : Temporal structures of their population in a mediterranean lagoon

Protozoaires et Métazoaires parasites de l'anguille Anguilla anguilla, L. 1758 : Structures temporelles de leurs populations dans une lagune méditerranéenne

Mohamed Hassan Benajiba (1) , Patrick Silan (2) , Adam Marquès, (3) , Georges Bouix (3)

1 UAE - Abdelmalek Essaadi University [Tétouan] = Université Abdelmalek Essaadi [Tétouan]
2 MIO - Institut méditerranéen d'océanologie
3 UM2 - Université Montpellier 2 - Sciences et Techniques

Three parasite species, Anguillicola crassus (Nematoda), Myxidium giardi (Myxozoa) and Eimeria anguillae (Sporozoa) were recorded in the eel, Anguilla anguilla from the Mediterranean Lagoon of Mauguio (Southern France). A. crassus is found in the swim bladder, M. giardi in the kidney and E. anguillae in the intestinal cells of this bony fish. A comparative study of the temporal variations in the population structures of these three endoparasites has been undertaken. This study reveals : a) the regular presence of these endoparasites throughout the year in the eel, and the relative stability of intensities; b) the changes in prevalence are rather cyclic in A. crassus; they increase during spring and autumn. This biannual prevalence change could be related to its biological cycle and this later related to the planktonic blooms in these lagoons; c) the populations of M. giardi increase slightly during spring and autumn. Their periodicity however is less evident; d) E. anguillae is a regular species but does not present any evident cyclic features. The ecopathological consequences of these demographic characteristics are discussed.

Mots clés: population dynamics; Eimeria anguillae; Myxidium giardi; Anguillicola crassus; endoparasite; anguilla anguilla; fish; mediterranean sea

Domaines: Biodiversité et Ecologie; Ecologie, Environnement; Milieux et Changements globaux; Interactions entre organismes; Parasitologie; Médecine vétérinaire et santé animale

Mohamed Hassan Benajiba, Patrick Silan, Adam Marquès,, Georges Bouix. Protozoaires et Métazoaires parasites de l'anguille Anguilla anguilla, L. 1758 : Structures temporelles de leurs populations dans une lagune méditerranéenne. Annales des Sciences Naturelles Zoologie et Biologie Animale, 1994, 15, pp.141-149. ⟨hal-01076346⟩