Macroparasite community and asymmetry of the yellow eel Anguilla anguilla in Salses-Leucate lagoon, Southern France

• Main Authors: Fazio, Géraldine, Lecomte-Finiger, Raymonde, Bartrina, J., Moné, Hélène, Sasal, Pierre
• Other Authors: Parasitologie fonctionnelle et évolutive 2003-2006 (PFE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD), Laboratoire de biologie marine et malacologie, Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD)-École pratique des hautes études (EPHE), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2005
• Subjects: parasites; eels; fluctuating asymmetry; distance matrices; Salses-Leucate lagoon; [SDV.BID.EVO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity/Populations and Evolution [q-bio.PE]; Anguilla anguilla; European eel
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00104476

European eel parasites, in particular invasive species, are suspected to have a strong influence on the population dynamics of their host. The aim of this work was to study the relationship between parasitic fauna of yellow eels caught at Salses-Leucate lagoon and the fluctuating asymmetry (FA) of some functional bilateral traits: pectoral fins, eyes and otoliths. Epidemiological distance matrices and FA distance matrices were calculated on the basis of Euclidian distances between each pair of eel and were then compared wiht a Mantel test in order to establish if there was a relationship between parasitism and FA. Our results revealed different morphological characteristics between eels caught at different dates; only otoliths were found asymmetric. The parasite richness was of 10 species, 1 Nematoda, 1 Acantocephala, 1 Monogenea and 7 Digenea. We failed to find a significant relationship between asymmetry and parasitism, except fo parasites found in the stomach. We discussed the results in the light of the eel life cycle, the specificity of parasite-eel systems and the impact of parasites on the host physiology