| Summary: | Species of fish preyed upon by the European eel Anguillicola anguilla were examined for infective larvae of the swimbladder nematode, Anguillicola crassus , in an area of the Baltic receiving thermal discharges from the Oskarshamn nuclear power station in Sweden. We found that the main paratenic hosts for A. crassus were 2 benthic species: the black goby Gobius niger and ruffe Gymnocephalus cernua . This finding is somewhat at variance with findings from Central Europe. Larvae and adult parasites recovered from eels fed with larvae from the black goby were scrutinized, using scanning electron microscopy, and their species identified on a morphological basis. A positive relationship between larval transmission into eels and surrounding water temperature was found. Parasite establishment and development in the eel were also demonstrated to be favoured at a moderately high water temperature. It is concluded that in addition to freshwater fish species, those of marine origin may also be important vectors for A. crassus in coastal waters.
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