Anisakid Presence in the European Conger, Conger conger, from Spanish Mediterranean Waters

Abstract

<p>The European conger, Conger conger, is a benthic marine fish species with a geographical</p><p>distribution extending through the northeastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Despite being</p><p>extensively distributed and widely appreciated by Spanish consumers, studies regarding parasite</p><p>presence in this fish are scarce. In the present work, a hundred and eight specimens from the</p><p>Mediterranean coast of northeastern Spain (Catalan waters) were surveyed for the presence of</p><p>nematode parasites. Several species were morphologically identified: third-stage larvae of Anisakis</p><p>type I (sensu Berland, 1961) (n = 131), third-stage larvae of Anisakis type II (sensu Berland, 1961)</p><p>(n = 18), third- and fourth-stage larvae and adults of Hysterothylacium spp. (n = 48), adults of</p><p>Cucullanus sp. (n = 391), and adults of Cristitectus congeri (n = 69). Moreover, some fish and decapode</p><p>species were also observed as part of the host’s diet, with the most detected preys being Micromesistius</p><p>poutassou, Sardina pilchardus, Macropipus sp., and Goneplax rhomboides. This represents the first survey</p><p>of nematode parasites infecting C. conger from the northeastern Spanish Mediterranean waters.</p><p>Among the parasite species detected, the presence of Anisakis species should be highlighted as the</p><p>ingestion of C. conger parasitized with these larvae could potentially lead to anisakiasis in consumers</p>