Inter-Research > DAO > v66 > n2 > p171-173  
DAO
Diseases of Aquatic Organisms

via Mailchimp

DAO 66:171-173 (2005)  -  doi:10.3354/dao066171

First record of ostracods as natural intermediate hosts of Anguillicola crassus, a pathogenic swimbladder parasite of eels Anguilla spp.

Frantisek Moravec1,*, Kazuya Nagasawa2, Munenori Miyakawa3

1Institute of Parasitology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Branisovská 31, 370 05 Ceské Budejovice, Czech Republic
2National Research Institute of Aquaculture, Nikko Branch, Fisheries Research Agency, Chugushi, Nikko, Tochigi 321-1661, Japan
3Aichi Fisheries Research Institute, 97 Wakamiya, Miya-ku, Gamagori, Aichi 413-0021, Japan

ABSTRACT: The ostracod Physocypria nipponica (Ostracoda: Candonidae) was found (prevalence 14.2%) to be the only intermediate host of the nematode Anguillicola crassus (Nematoda: Anguillicolidae), a pathogenic swimbladder parasite of eels, in a greenhouse-heated culture pond at Isshiki, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Japanese eels Anguilla japonica from the same pond were found to be infected by adult A. crassus (prevalence 71.8%, intensity 1 to 6). This indicates that A. crassus could complete its life cycle under conditions of modern eel-culture technology where copepods were absent due to the unfavorable water quality for them, by utilizing ostracods as the intermediate host.


KEY WORDS: Ostracoda · Physocypria nipponica · Intermediate host · Parasitic nematode · Anguillicola crassus · Japanese eel · Anguilla japonica · Japan


Full text in pdf format
 Previous article Next article