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

The European conger, Conger conger, is a benthic marine fish species with a geographical

distribution extending through the northeastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Despite being

extensively distributed and widely appreciated by Spanish consumers, studies regarding parasite

presence in this fish are scarce. In the present work, a hundred and eight specimens from the

Mediterranean coast of northeastern Spain (Catalan waters) were surveyed for the presence of

nematode parasites. Several species were morphologically identified: third-stage larvae of Anisakis

type I (sensu Berland, 1961) (n = 131), third-stage larvae of Anisakis type II (sensu Berland, 1961)

(n = 18), third- and fourth-stage larvae and adults of Hysterothylacium spp. (n = 48), adults of

Cucullanus sp. (n = 391), and adults of Cristitectus congeri (n = 69). Moreover, some fish and decapode

species were also observed as part of the host’s diet, with the most detected preys being Micromesistius

poutassou, Sardina pilchardus, Macropipus sp., and Goneplax rhomboides. This represents the first survey

of nematode parasites infecting C. conger from the northeastern Spanish Mediterranean waters.

Among the parasite species detected, the presence of Anisakis species should be highlighted as the

ingestion of C. conger parasitized with these larvae could potentially lead to anisakiasis in consumers