New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

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Anguillicolosis in the short-finned eel Anguilla australis: epidemiology and pathogenicity

François Lefebvre¹
Tobias Schuster²
Marcel Münderle²
Mike Hine³
Robert Poulin¹,†

¹Department of Zoology
University of Otago
P.O. Box 56
Dunedin, New Zealand
email: robert.poulin@stonebow.otago.ac.nz

²Zoologie I, Ecology/Parasitology
University of Karlsruhe
Kornblumenstr. 13
76131 Karlsruhe, Germany

³National Centre for Disease Investigation
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
P.O. Box 40 742
Upper Hutt, New Zealand

†Author for correspondence.

Abstract  A sample of 189 short-finned eels (Anguilla australis) from four geographical areas in New Zealand were examined for the occurrence of the swimbladder nematode Anguillicola spp. Anguillicola novaezelandiae was found in three of the four localities. Overall, the prevalence was low (<12%) as was the intensity of infection (between 1 and 5 parasites per infected eel). In comparison with data from Europe on a similar host-parasite system involving congeneric species (Anguilla anguilla-Anguillicola crassus), it was concluded that the New Zealand short-finned eels do not greatly suffer from this infection. In particular, no effect of infection on body condition was detected. The damage caused by the parasite to the swimbladder was minimal, even in large silver eels about to undertake a long journey at great depth to reach their spawning grounds in the Pacific. A review of the available literature is presented to update the current knowledge of the distribution of Anguillicola infections in New Zealand.

Keywords  Anguilla australis; infection; Anguillicola novaezelandiae; swimbladder degenerative index; body condition

M04046; Received 10 February 2004; accepted 27 May 2004; Online publication date 5 August 2004
New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 2004, Vol. 38: 577-583
0028-8330/04/3804-0577 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2004

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