Metazoan parasites of Boops boops (Linnaeus, 1758) from the Algerian coast

Abstract

Six-hundred and forty-five specimens of Boops boops (L.) were sampled in the Gulf of Bejaia (Eastern coast of Algeria) and examined for their parasite fauna from February 2013 to March 2014. Among the 15 identified parasites species, Tetrochetus coryphaenae (Yamaguti, 1934) and Pseudaxine trachuri (Parona & Parugia, 1890) were collected for the first time respectively on digestive tract and gills of B. boops from Algerian. The microhabitat and host specificity vary according to parasites species. Statistically significant differences were recorded in the infestation rate and mean intensity between seasons (p <0.001) and also between size classes (p <0.001) and p=0.011 respectively. Parasitism has no apparent effects on the condition (males: p=0.195, females: p=0.188) and the length-weight relationship (males: p=0.247, females: p=0.08) of both sexes. A checklist of all collected metazoan parasites on B. Boops from the Mediterranean Sea was produced. Until now B. boops from Algeria hosts 37 species of Metazoan parasites among the 56 known species in the Mediterranean Sea. Our study has added two new parasite species infecting the Algerian B. boops.