DAO 57:177-180 (2003)  -  doi:10.3354/dao057177

ABSTRACT: Twenty sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax L. from a fish farm (floating cage) in Greece were examined for the presence of parasites. The gills of 7 (35%) fish were infected with adult female specimens of the parasitic copepod Lernanthropus kroyeri van Beneden, 1851, and the intensity of infection ranged from 1 to 24 parasites per host. The most infected portion of the gills appeared to be the primary lamellae. Erosion, desquamation and necrosis of the secondary lamellae were noticed near the site of copepod attachment; furthermore, the terminal claw of the second antennae lacerated tissue and vessels of infected gill. Parasitism by L. kroyeri affected the host¹s condition factor (mean ± SE in uninfected vs parasitized; 1.88 ± 0.04 vs 1.66 ± 0.12; p < 0.05).

KEY WORDS: Dicentrarchus labrax · Crustacean parasite · Lernanthropus kroyeri · Histopathology