Between 2013 and 2015, 2092 chondrichthyan fish belonging to eight species were collected along the Tunisian coast and examined for parasitic copepods. Eleven different species of copepods representing five families, Caligidae, Eudactylinidae, Kroyeriidae, Lernaeopodidae and Pandaridae, were collected. Three of these species are reported for the first time in Tunisia (Pseudocharopinus malleus, Perissopus dentatus and Nesippus orientalis) and one new species of Kroyeria was found. In addition, we identified a number of new host records including: the presence of Eudactylinella alba on Bathytoshia centroura, Dasyatis pastinaca, Mustelus mustelus and Scyliorhinus canicula. This is the first record of Nemesis sp. on B. centroura in Tunisia. We report here for the first time the presence of Pseudocharopinus bicaudatus and Pseudocharopinus concavus on Bathytoshia centroura and Lernaeopoda galei on Raja clavata.

The examination of 415 specimen belonging to twelve species of Teleostean fish and 339 specimen belonging to seven species of Chondrichthyan fish collected from the Tunisian coasts, it enabled us to identify 10 species of parasitic copepods: Lernaeopoda galei, Lernaeocera lusci, Neobrachiella merluccii, Hatschekia mulli, Caligus elongatus, Caligus pageti, Neobrachiella mugilis, Clavellotis fallax, Clavelissa pagri and Clavelissa scombri. The distribution of copepods identified, varies from one host species to another. Merluccius merluccius and Liza saliens present the important number of copepods species. The copepod Hatschekia mulli is the most abundant. The presence of Lernaeopoda galei on Scyliorhinus canicula, Mustelus mustelus and Mustelus punctalatus was reported for the first time in the southern banks of the Mediterranean.

No abstract

No abstract