Parasitic Infections In The Blue Crab Swimmer Portunus pelagicus (Linneaus, 1758), (Arthropoda: Crustacea) Found in the Arabian Gulf (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) PDF

Keywords

Portunus pelagicus, (Linnaeus, 1758), Octolasmis sp. (Gray, 1825) , Cypris sp. (OF Müller, 1776), Calanus sp. (Leach, 1819), Balanus sp. (Da Costa, 1778), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

The Blue swimmer crab, Portunus pelagicus, (Linnaeus, 1758), has world-wide economic and nutritional importance. It is considered one of the main economic groups of marine organisms in the coastal regions of the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf near the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This study was carried out during 2007 in the coastal area of AL-Khobar City in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia. The study described external and internal parasites of the blue swimmer crab drawn and photographed by light and microscopes. The study reported the following parasites in the blue crab: Octolasmis sp. (Gray, 1825), pepper spots parasites, Balanus sp. (Da Costa, 1778), as an external parasite in crustaceans of Cypris sp (O. F. Müller, 1776) and Calanus sp. (Leach, 1819). In addition, free-living nematodes were observed on external parts of the crab while some commensal Amoeba sp. (Ehrenberg, 1930 ) were observed during examination of the hindgut of the crab. This is the first study of its kind in the Eastern Province of the Kigdom of Saudi Arabia.