A marine host–parasite model with direct biological cycle and age structure

The sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax has several gill ectoparasites. Diplectanum aequans (Platyhelminth, Monogenea) is one of these species. Under certain demographical conditions, this flatworm can cause pathological problems, especially in fish farms. An age-structured formulation of the parasite population dynamics is proposed. This model integrates the seasonal influence of temperature in a fish-farmed population of sea basses parasitized with this helminth.