Parasite communities in two sparid fishes from the western Mediterranean: a comparative analysis based on samples from three localities off the Algerian coast (original) (raw)
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Parasitology, 1999
The aim of this work was to study the structure of the parasite communities of Digeneans of 2 families of Teleost fishes (Sparidae and Labridae) of the Mediterranean sea. We tried to quantify the importance of both the microhabitat requirements of the parasite species and the effect of host biological factors on the parasite communities. We applied, for the first time in parasite community studies, the Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) to analyse (i) the spatial distribution of parasite species within the digestive tract of the hosts; (ii) the host's biological factors (such as diet, host length, gregariousness and abundance) that may influence this spatial distribution of parasite species. Our results showed that potential microhabitats were vacant in the 2 host families studied revealing a lack of niche saturation because either there was little inter- and/or intraspecific competition or there were enough available space and resources within the host. Our results also in...
Halfway up the trophic chain: development of parasite communities in the sparid fish Boops boops
Parasitology, 2008
SUMMARYWe examined the patterns of composition and structure of parasite communities in the Mediterranean sparid fish Boops boops along a gradient of fish sizes, using a large sample from a single population. We tested the hypothesis that species forming the core of the bogue parasite fauna (i.e. species which have a wide geographical range and are responsible for recognizable community structure) appear early in the fish ontogeny. The sequential community development observed supported the prediction that core species appear in the fish population earlier than rare and stochastic species. There was also a strong correlation between the order of ‘arrival’ of the species and their overall prevalence. Six key species were responsible for recognizable community structure across size/age cohorts; the addition to this baseline community of key parasite species resulted in a nested structure that is linked to differential species abundance rather than fish size. Information on the life-cy...
Determinants of parasite species richness in Mediterranean marine fishes
1997
ABSTRACT Data on parasites of Mediterranean Sea fishes, collected from previous published surveys, were used to test 5 hypotheses concerning the determinants of parasite species richness. A total of 170 parasite species belonging to 5 distinct taxonomic groups (nematodes, acanthocephalans, digeneans, monogeneans and crustaceans) were identified from 79 marine fish species (3904 individuals) collected at a regional scale.
Parasitology International
This study addressed the impacts of fishing on the rates of parasitism using the sparid Boops boops as a model fish species. Using a large suite of parasite species in B. boops, with different life histories, transmission pathways and host specificity, we compared parasite diversity, prevalence, abundance and community structure at two Mediterranean localities in the Balearic Sea, Santa Pola Bay and the Gulf of Oran, that are characterised by a contrasting pattern of fishing of B. boops. A total of 360 fish were examined comprising nine distinct samples collected during the warm and the cold weather months. A total of 29 parasite species were identified, with eight species in common for the two localities. Parasite component communities at Santa Pola Bay were more species rich and abundant than those at the Gulf of Oran and exhibited a different community structure. Of the eight common taxa used in the quantitative comparisons, five exhibited significant difference for prevalence be...
Despite their potential ecological and environmental effects, parasites of exotic fish remain an underestimated component of ecosystem functioning. Among these parasites, Digenea have the most complex life cycles that make them difficult to be introduced. In the Gulf of Gabes (Central Mediterranean Sea), four herbivorous fish are present: two native Sarpa salpa and Sparisoma cretense and two lessepsian Siganus rivulatus and Siganus luridus. These fishes are assumed to have feeding analogies that increase the possibility to be infested by the same digenean species. Comparative parasitological studies of these fishes in sympatric sites are crucial to understand parasite circulation. Thirteen S. rivulatus, 33 S. luridus, 30 S. cretense and 20 S. salpa were studied for their digenean parasites. The two lessepsian S. rivulatus and S. luridus have the same and only parasite Aponorus sigani. Sparisoma cretense has only one species Schikhobalotrema sparisomae and S. salpa is parasitised with 6 species Centroderma spinosissima, Mesometra orbicularis, Mesometra brachycoelia, Wardula capitellata, Lepocreadium pegorchis, Robphildollfusium fractum. No parasites switching between these herbivorous fish were observed. Absence of intermediate host and phylogenetic barrier may prevent transfer of parasite. The introduced species was considerably less parasitised than those from native locality (10 species were reported from S. rivulatus and S. luridus of Red Sea and only one species from Mediterranean Sea). A. sigani is a co-introduced parasite established with its host and its intermediate host in Mediterranean Sea.
Parasitology Research, 2009
The spatial distribution of parasite communities from teleost fishes (Diplodus vulgaris, Mullus surmuletus, Pagellus erythrinus, Phycis phycis, Scorpaena scrofa and Symphodus tinca) was studied in the Bonifacio Strait Marine Reserve (Corsica Island) with different protection levels. Canonical correspondence analysis was used to study spatial patterns and to quantify the importance of site influence on parasite communities. To supplement these results, we used the indicator species analysis (Indval) to identify parasite species as bioindicators of a given ecosystem. Moreover, fish spatial distribution in the marine reserve was evaluated in order to link parasite species occurrence and fish abundance. Several parasite species were associated with a specific site, and some of them were considered as site bioindicators, especially in the western part of the protected area (Bruzzi and Moines Islands). However, the relative abundance of fish followed a different spatial pattern. Stronger fish abundance was observed in the eastern part of the reserve (Lavezzi Islands). The parasite species were correlated to sites inside as well outside the reserve. The parasite distribution seemed not to be influenced by the protection status of the site. Furthermore, in our study, most of the parasite species were not linked to a site. The most important factor influencing their distribution was host specificity. This suggested that the parasite life traits history remained a fundamental determinant in the community composition.
Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 2014
This study examines the parasite fauna of Bathypterois mediterraneus, the most common fish below 1500 m in Western Mediterranean waters. Samples were obtained during July 2010 from the continental slope of two different areas (off Catalonia and Balearic Islands) in three different bathymetric strata at depths between 1000 and 2200 m. The parasite fauna of B. mediterraneus included a narrow range of species: Steringophorus cf. dorsolineatum, Scolex pleuronectis, Hysterothylacium aduncum, Anisakis sp. larva 3 type II and Sarcotretes sp. Steringophorus cf. dorsolineatum and H. aduncum were the most predominant parasites. H. aduncum showed significant differences in abundance between depths of 2000-2200 m with 1000-1400 m and 1400-2000 m, irrespective of locality, whereas S. cf. dorsolineatum showed significant differences between the two localities at all depths except for 2000-2200 m. We suggest the possible usefulness of these two parasites as geographical indicators for discriminating discrete stocks of B. mediterraneus in Western Mediterranean waters.
Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 2015
Parasite communities of three abundant benthopelagic macrourid species (Hymenocephalus italicus, Nezumia aequalis and Trachyrincus scabrus) of the upper slope from the western Mediterranean were analysed seasonally. Histopathological, dietary and environmental information (temperature, salinity, O 2 and turbidity) were also obtained. The three fish hosts shared only three parasite species (the nematodes Raphidascaris macrouri and Hysterothylacium aduncum and the acanthocephalan Echinorhynchus trachyrinci). H. italicus, the most benthopelagic fish, showed low parasite richness and diversity. The highest total mean abundance of parasites was found in spring for H. italicus and T. scabrus, coinciding with the highest prevalence/abundance of the majority of parasites whereas parasites of N. aequalis exhibited the highest richness, mean abundance and diversity in winter. Parasites related with benthic or infaunal preys were linked to autumn and summer samples off Besós (Barcelona). Some parasites were also linked to high turbidity, which may be due to higher abundances of the intermediate hosts, such as near-bottom zooplaktonic or suprabenthic preys. Few histopathological alterations (e.g. cysts of unknown aetiology) were observed restricted to the two most benthic-feeding fish species inhabiting more closely the nearbottom/sediment level, especially in autumn.
Veterinary Parasitology, 2014
The sharpsnout seabream Diplodus puntazzo is of interest in Mediterranean fish farming. Disease is an important problem because parasites can spread quickly in culture conditions and fish often develop high parasite burdens. Here we assess the risk that documented parasites pose to the sustainability of D. puntazzo farming. This study specifically considers metazoan and protist parasites recorded from wild and farmed D. puntazzo in scientific literature. Risk assessment studies involve the identification, characterization and qualitative quantification of the risk in question (parasitoses in this case) and the probability of establishment. We considered the parasite species which may be difficult to manage as a priority for research into potential management strategies. Those parasites which could be transmitted from cultures of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) were also included in this study. Four groups of parasites represented a risk to D. puntazzo farming, ranging from moderate to high: Ciliophora, Myxozoa, Monogenea and Copepoda. Three parasite species were considered high risk to D. puntazzo cultures: Amyloodinium sp., Cryptocaryon sp. and Enteromyxum leei. These species were responsible for high mortalities in cultures of these and other fish species. In addition Sparicotyle chrysophrii, Caligus ligusticus and Gnathia vorax entail a moderate risk to D. puntazzo Mediterranean farms. No important episodes have been related to caligids and isopods in Mediterranean sparids, nevertheless they should be properly managed to prevent future problems. (N. Sánchez-García).
Cybium, 2013
A total of 664 Boops Boops (Linnaeus, 1758) and 823 Mullus barbatus barbatus Linnaeus, 1758 from the east coast of Algeria were examined to study their parasitofauna. We collected eleven parasitic species (two monogeneans, three copepods, five isopods and one Branchiura) from B. boops, and four parasitic species (two copepods and two isopods) from M. barbatus barbatus. Five species were reported for the first time in Algeria. The site of attachment on the host and the degree of specificity varied according to the parasite species while the infestation rate changed according to the month and the host size. The parasitism did not show a significant negative impact on the biological parameters of the fish host.