Macroparasite Communities with Special Attention to Invasive Helminths in European Eels Anguilla anguilla from Freshwaters and Brackish Lagoons of a Mediterranean Island

• Published in: Fishes
• Main Authors: Esposito, Anaïs, Filippi, Jean-José, Gerbaud, Charlotte, Godeaux, Quentin, Millot, Rémi, Agostini, Paul-Jean, Albertini, Camille, Durieux, Eric, Foata, Joséphine, Quilichini, Yann
• Other Authors: Sciences pour l'environnement (SPE), Université Pascal Paoli (UPP)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Stella Mare, Fédération Départementale de Pêche de la Corse, Office français de la biodiversité (OFB), Bourse de doctorat de l'Université de Corse Pascal Paoli et de la Collectivité de Corse; fait partie du projet interdisciplinaire GERHYCO financé par la Collectivité de Corse
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2023
• Subjects: parasite; Anguilla anguilla; invasive species; Anguillicola crassus; Pseudodactylogyrus; Corsica; [SDV.MP.PAR]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Microbiology and Parasitology/Parasitology; [SDE]Environmental Sciences; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; [SDV.BID]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biodiversity; [SDV.EE.IEO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology; environment/Symbiosis; Gusev; European eel
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-04676061; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes8070375

International audience An extensive survey of macroparasites in 320 European eel Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758) was conducted in two brackish lagoons and eleven freshwater localities in the Mediterranean island of Corsica (France) between spring 2021 and winter 2021–2022. It resulted in the identification of nineteen parasites: two Monogea, four Digenea, one Copepoda, four Acanthocephala, three Cestoda, and five Nematoda, including the first geographical records, as Corsican freshwater sites were studied for the first time. The silvering stage was determined, and the eels were aged through otolithometry to compare parasite communities. Classic parasitology indices, a multivariate analysis, and an analysis of indicator values (IndVal) showed clear preferences towards the host’s habitat and salinity. Seasonal variations were shown for several parasites. A dataset from the same two coastal lagoons was used to study the changes in the parasite communities over the last decade, and this showed an increase in the prevalence and abundance of three invasive helminth species: the Monogenea Pseudodactylogyrus bini (Kikuchi, 1929), Pseudodactylogyrus anguillae (Yin and Sproston, 1948) Gusev, 1965 and the Nematoda Anguillicola crassus Kuwahara, Niimi, and Itagaki, 1974. These pathogenic parasites were found in all sampled localities, except for the two Monogenea in the polyhaline-to-euhaline Urbino lagoon. It is thus advised that future management measures take into account the environmental preferences of the most concerning parasites.