Checklist of the parasites of European eel Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758) (Anguillidae) in Poland.

Joanna Dzido,Leszek Rolbiecki,Rafał Bednarek,Joanna Izdebska

doi:10.3897/bdj.8.e52346

Abstract

The present paper lists all parasite species of the European eel Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758), recorded in Poland, in both its saltwater and freshwater habitats. The list has been drawn up, based on data acquired since 1844. The majority of included parasite species are presented with fish infection parameters together with data on their developmental stages and occupied microhabitats, localities and dates of collection of the eels themselves. The database includes 62 parasite taxa (including 50 species, nine identified to the genus level and three to higher taxa), representing at least 47 genera and 39 families. The most frequently-noted parasites of the European eel are the cestode Bothriocephalus claviceps, the nematodes Anguillicoloides crassus, Camallanus lacustris and Raphidascaris acus and the acanthocephalan Acanthocephalus lucii. Four alien species have been noted from this host: A. crassus, the monogeneans Pseudodactylogyrus anguillae and Pseudodactylogyrus bini and the acanthocephalan Paratenuisentis ambiguus. The present list includes both new host records and earlier records not included in previous lists of parasites of eels.

Highlights

The European eel Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758) is a species of fish with a wide distribution in European waters and one with both very high environmental and economic value
Since the end of the 20th Century, eel populations have decreased by over 99% due to various factors, such as increased water pollution, climate change, overfishing and dam construction and the species is at risk of extinction
One significant factor in this decline was the appearance of the nematode Anguillicoloides crassus: an alien, invasive parasite which inhabits the swim bladders of eels, resulting in sickness and the disturbance of various vital functions that may prevent the eels from reaching their spawning area and reproducing (Moriarty and Dekker 1997, Lefebvre et al 2002, Dekker 2003, Kirk 2003, Stone 2003, van Ginneken and Maes 2005)

Summary

Introduction

The European eel Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758) is a species of fish with a wide distribution in European waters and one with both very high environmental and economic value. Since the end of the 20th Century, eel populations have decreased by over 99% due to various factors, such as increased water pollution, climate change, overfishing and dam construction and the species is at risk of extinction. One significant factor in this decline was the appearance of the nematode Anguillicoloides crassus: an alien, invasive parasite which inhabits the swim bladders of eels, resulting in sickness and the disturbance of various vital functions that may prevent the eels from reaching their spawning area and reproducing (Moriarty and Dekker 1997, Lefebvre et al 2002, Dekker 2003, Kirk 2003, Stone 2003, van Ginneken and Maes 2005). Anguillicoloides crassus was probably introduced from Taiwan, where it was associated with its specific host, the Japanese eel; since its introduction, it has spread rapidly throughout the European eel population (Taraschewski et al 1987, Moravec 1992, Molnár et al 1993, Münderle et al 2006)

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