| Unusural crab mortality in winter led us to identify a Hematodinium like parasitic dinoflagellate in the blood of edible crabs Cancer pagurus. Crabs from several fishing areas (the English Channel, the Iroise sea, the bay of Biscay, off Scotland) and from one area of the Channel shore were examined. The crab parasit was found everywhere we investigated and throughout the year. The prevalence which was found independant of the intermolt stage, sex and size of crabs was higher inshore than offshore. The pathogenicity is assumed to differ according to season. |
