Metazoan Parasites and Health State of European Eel, Anguilla Anguilla (Anguilliformes, Anguillidae), From Tonga Lake and El Mellah Lagoon in the Northeast of Algeria

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine metazoans parasite communities of European eels (Anguilla anguilla) in freshwater (Tonga Lake) and brackish water (El Mellah lagoon) in the northeast of Algeria. Six parasite taxa were collected: one monogenean, Pseudodactylogyrus sp.; two crustaceans, Ergasilus sp. and Argulus foliaceus; two nematodes, Cucullanus sp. and Anguillicola crassus; one cestode, Bothriocephalus claviceps. Th e most prevalent parasite taxa in freshwater were Pseudodactylogyrus sp., A. crassus and Bothriocephalus claviceps; whereas in the brackish water, eels were infected mainly with A. crassus. Th e characteristics of the parasite component community structure revealed low parasite species diversity and high dominance values in eels from the two localities. Both communities were dominated by a single parasite species: Tonga eels by the monogenean Pseudodactylogyrus sp. and El Mellah lagoon eels by the nematode A. crassus, verified by high Berger-Parker dominance values of 0.76 and 0.87 respectively.

Infection of the swim bladder parasite Anguillicoloides crassus in the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) caught from the Gediz Delta (Aegean Sea)

“…Prevalence values vary considerably according to the salinity values of the environments where the samples are taken. Many researchers have reported that A. crassus is less common in saltwater environments than in fresh waters (Louklidi and Belghyti, 2007;Aly et al, 2007;Mayo-Hernandez et al, 2015;Bakaria et al, 2018;Hafir-Mansouri et al, 2018;Wariaghli and Yahyaoui, 2018;Oudjane, 2021), (Table 2). According to these results, we can say that when comparing values such as mean intensity or prevalence, comparing them not according to regions but according to the freshwater or saltwater environments in which the creature is distributed can yield more successful results.…”

“…Many studies have been carried out to determine the density of the swim bladder parasite A. crassus, which has entered the European eel population in the last two decades, according to abiotic factors in different regions of the Mediterranean (Aly et al, 2007;Quadroni et al, 2013;Koyuncu et al, 2017;Kantzoura et al, 2021) or in different ecosystems (Sauvaget et al, 2003;Loukili and Belghyti, 2007;Mayo-Hernandez et al, 2015;Bakaria et al, 2018;Giari et al, 2021), or to determine its life cycle (De Charleroy et al, 1990;Kirk, 2003;Rolbiecki, 2008) in the Mediterranean region. This study aims to determine the infection rates in the study area based on the prevalence data of A. crassus and to compare these values with different regions and habitats of the Mediterranean.…”

MICROBIOLOGY QUALITY OF TINFOIL BARB Barbonymus schwanenfeldii FROM TEMBAT AND PETUANG RIVERS, KENYIR LAKE, MALAYSIA IN ASSOCIATION WITH NEMATODES, Cucullanus sp INFECTION

“…Nematodes were very distinct in shape, large and visible to the naked eye. Bakaria et al, (2018) stated that Cucullanus sp. was found in European eel (Anguilla Anguilla) in Tonga Lake, Nigeria.…”

Composition and variations diet of the European eel Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758) in Tonga Lake, North-East Algeria.

“…Despite its economic and ecological interest, its biology and ecology are still insufficiently known, both in brackish and freshwaters. The main information available concerns its infestation by the nematode parasite A. crassus, mainly in the hydrosystems of El-Tarf Wilaya (Tahri et al 2017;Bakaria et al 2018;Oudjane, 2021;Dia et al 2022;Tahri 2023). The preliminary data on the biochemistry (fatty acids) and biology (energy reserves, growth, diet) of A. anguilla are only available for the hydrosystems of eastern Algeria: Lake Tonga (Ladjama et al 2016;Djouahra and Arab 2017;Zard-Gharsallah et al 2021), Mellah lagoon (Ladjama et al 2016;Zard-Gharsallah et al 2021;Derbal et al 2022) and Wadi El-Kebir (Derbal et al 2022).…”