title: Metazoan parasite species in cultured mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis in the Thermaikos Gulf (North Aegean Sea, Greece).
abstract: This is the first study on parasites of cultured Mytilus galloprovincialis L. in Greek waters, and is based on samples collected every 2 to 3 mo between September 2000 and November 2001 at 3 stations in the Thermaikos Gulf. Each sample comprised 40 mussels. We found 4 metazoan parasite species: hydroid Eugymnanthea inquilina, gill turbellarian Urastoma cyprinae, trematode Proctoces maculatus and gut copepod Mytilicola intestinalis. Of 840 mussels examined, 406 (48.3%) mussels were harbouring hydroids of E. inquilina, 278 (33.1%) were infested with U. cyprinae, 94 (11.2%) were infested with M. intestinalis, and only 7 (0.8%) were infested with P. maculatus. The prevalence and intensity of these parasites were related to temperature and pollution. Mussels infested with these parasites had significantly lower condition indices than non-infested mussels; larger mussels were more often infested than smaller ones.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Box 134, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 540 06 Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Abdalnasser
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rayyan
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Photis
authors.forename: Chariton C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chintiroglou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049872:Bivalvia / Q000469:parasitology*; D033342:Copepoda / Q000502:physiology*; D006115:Greece; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D037402:Hydrozoa / Q000502:physiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012621:Seasons; D012623:Seawater; D013696:Temperature; D014200:Trematoda / Q000502:physiology*; D014419:Turbellaria / Q000502:physiology*; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000032:analysis