[Parasitic Crustacea of fishes from the north-east Atlantic Ocean]

Fish from the north-east Atlantic, including neighbouring aquens are host of 3 species of Branchiura, 163 Copepoda, 37 Isopoda, 2 Amphipoda, and 1 of parasitic Cirripedia. Chondrichthyes have more species of parasitic crustaceans than Osteichthyes. Many specific parasites of Osteichthyes and the facultative parasites of fish include species of crustaceans to fish of both classes. 165 species of parasitic crustaceans are found in benthic and near-benthic fish, and 55 in pelagic fish. The greatest variety of species parasitic crustaceans is found in fishes in the North Sea (139); it is much smaller in the Baltic Sea (15). Endemic species constitute 15% of the total number of parasitic crustacean. The irregular distribution of parasitic crustaceans is among others connected with the biology and ecology of both hosts and their parasites.