A trypanosome from the plaice, Pleuronectes platessa L.

The results of a 12 month study of Trypanosoma platessae Lebailly (1904), a haemoflagellate parasitising the plaice, Pleuronectes platessa L., are presented. The morphological features of the trypanosome are described, with experimental investigations of the host specificity of T, platessae . The flagellate occurred at low parasitaemias in wild plaice with a seasonal variation in the numbers of infected hosts, the percentage of parasitised fish reaching a maximum of 20 % in March and declining in the summer months.
Attempts to establish T. platessae in the laboratory, by means of passage of infected blood, gave inconsistent results. Elevated levels of β-globulins were detected in the sera of T. platessae infected plaice, and it is suggested that this may be associated with antibody secretion to the parasite.     

Experimental studies on the development of Lernaeocera branchialis (Copepoda: Pennellidae): population processes from egg production to maturation on the flatfish host

Quantitative population dynamical information derived from laboratory- and field-based experiments is provided for the fish-parasitic copepod, Lernaeocera branchialis, infecting flounder (Platichthys flesus) and whiting (Merlangius merlangus). Adult, post-metamorphosis females from whiting can produce more than one set of egg-strings. The mean number of eggs in each egg-string pair was 1445. At 10 °C these eggs took about 12.7 d after extrusion before hatching of NI nauplii began. Hatching took up to 12 days to be completed with an exponentially declining pattern of output over this period. In the laboratory about 44% of the egg-string egg population successfully passed through the NI to NII nauplius moult and the NII to copepodid moult to produce infective copepodids, a process lasting about 2 d. The non-feeding copepodids had a maximum survival time at 10 °C of 18 d, with a time to 50% survival of 7.5 d. In laboratory infection experiments at 10 °C, copepodids infected flounder and passed through all their developmental stages to adulthood and copulation in a minimum of 25 d. Field experiments on the seabed off Lowestoft in June 1987 with a sea temperature of about 16 °C suggested that the developmental period in those conditions could be as short as 11 d. Previously uninfected flounder in the field experiments became naturally infected with copepodids at a mean rate of not less than 30 parasites per fish d^–1.     

Sexual maturation in triploid male plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) and plaice x flounder (Platichthys flesus) hybrids

Triploid male plaice, Pleuronectes platessa , and plaice x flounder, Platichthys flesus , hybrids produced from cold-shocked eggs were reared to maturity at three years of age. The testes of triploid hybrids were similar in macroscopic appearance and size to those from control fish but in histological section spermatocyte and spermatid cell formation was grossly abnormal. In two fish the majority of cells appeared to be aborted spermatids and spermatocytes although there were some spermatozoa with enlarged heads and thick bent flagellae.
The testes of mature triploid plaice were similar to controls both in shape and size and in histological section. Spermatocyte and spermatid cell formation was normal, apart from an increase in cell and nuclear size, and fully motile spermatozoa were produced from several fish. Plaice eggs fertilized with semen from triploids showed a slight reduction in fertility compared with controls but developed normally to gastrulation with little mortality. Beyond gastrulation there was increasing mortality associated with abnormalities in the appearance of embryos. Few hatched and none of these survived longer than 48 h. The value of triploidy in fish farming is briefly discussed.     

Infection of estuarine fish populations by Cryptocotyle lingua (Creplin)

Fish populations in the Medway Estuary become infected with Cryptocotyle lingua (Creplin) shortly after their inshore migrations. The present study examines infection levels between 1973 and 1975 in four fish species; whiting, Merlangius merlangus (L.), pouting, Trisopterus luscus (L.), plaice, Pleuronectes platessa L. and flounder, Platichthys flesus (L.). Frequency of infection was highest in flounder, followed by pouting, plaice and whiting. Unusually, parasite density was lowest in plaice even though gastropod molluscs (the parasite's first intermediate host) were most common in their diet. Seasonal levels of infection are discussed and prove useful indicators to the migratory movements of individual fish populations. In whiting and pouting, incidence of infection increased with length of host while no relationship between infection and age of host was observed in either flatfish. Metacercariae were not distributed randomly over the body surface; in gadoids they were concentrated above the lateral line while in pleuronectids they were most intense in the fins and gills.     

Effect of environmental salinity on sea lice Lepeophtheirus salmonis settlement success

The sea louse Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Kr?yer, 1837) (Copepoda: Caligidae) is an ectoparasite of salmonid fish. It has earlier been proposed that the free-swimming infectious copepodid stage of L. salmonis gather at river mouths to infect wild Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. and sea trout S. trutta L. smolts during their seaward migration. This study used aquarium-based methods to investigate the survival, infective ability and behaviour of L. salmonis copepodids exposed to short periods of low salinity levels, such as those encountered at river mouths. Survival of free-swimming copepodids was found to be severely compromised at salinity levels below 29 parts per thousand (ppt). Attachment to an S. salar host did not aid copepodid survival during post-infection exposure to low salinity environment, and a reduction in salinity appears to reduce the ability of copepodids to remain attached to S. salar smolts. Pre-infection exposure of copepodids to reduced salinity levels reduced infection of S. salar. Infection levels at reduced salinity were lower than predicted from the free-swimming survival experiment, suggesting that low salinity compromises the copepodids' ability to sense or respond to the presence of a host. In salinity gradients, copepodids demonstrated avoidance of salinities below 27 ppt, by both altering their swimming behaviour and changing the orientation of passive sinking. Avoidance of low salinity levels may be due to their adverse effects on copepodid physiology, as suggested by the reduction in survival. Sinking rates were also faster in reduced salinity, suggesting that remaining in the water column would be more energetically demanding for the copepodids at reduced salinity. These results show that both survival and host infectivity of L. salmonis are severely compromised by short-term exposure to reduced salinity levels.     

Temperature-dependent development rates of plaice (Pleuronectes platessa L.) eggs from the Irish Sea

Experimentally derived temperature-dependent development ratesfor planktonic fish eggs are required for developing IndividualBased Models (IBMs) of early life history stages and for estimatingdaily egg production in ichthyoplankton surveys. Developmentrates of Irish Sea plaice eggs were experimentally determinedfor temperatures between 4.5 and 12° C. Differences in developmentrates were apparent when these results were compared with literaturedata for eggs from North Sea parents. On average, plaice eggsfrom the Irish Sea developed more rapidly and hatched up to2 days earlier compared with North Sea eggs incubated at thesame temperature. In terms of parental effects, larger femalestended to produce larger eggs but egg size decreased over successivebatches from the same female within a year. Temperature-dependentegg development rates were influenced by egg size in a non-linearmanner for eggs incubated at 6° C, but egg size had no effectat higher temperatures. Since most plaice eggs sampled fromthe Irish Sea during ichthyoplankton surveys in 1995 and 2000were found in waters cooler than 8° C, such effects maymodify egg development rates in the wild.     

A model for studying isolation mechanisms in parasite populations: the genus Lepeophtheirus (Copepoda, Caligidae)

In the Mediterranean, the parasitic copepod Lepeophtheirus thompsoni Baird, 1850 specifically infests turbot (Psetta maxima L., 1758), whereas L. europaensis Zeddam, Berrebi, Renaud, Raibaut, and Gabrion, 1988 infests brill (Scophthalmus rhombus L., 1758) and flounder (Platichthys flesus L., 1758). Experimental infestation of turbot by copepods from each of the three fish species showed an absence of any physiological incompatibility preventing natural development of the two parasite species, at least on one host species, i.e., the turbot. Moreover, interspecific hybrids were obtained experimentally, which implies that 1) there is no strict genetic barrier between the two species and 2) the natural prezygotic isolation results from a choice of the most favorable habitat. We discuss the origin and possible consequences of the presence, in the Mediterranean, of L. europaensis on brill and flounder, two hosts separated by their taxonomic status and ecobiology.     

Small-scale distribution of juvenile plaice and flounder in relation to predatory shrimp in a shallow Swedish bay

Metamorphosed plaice and flounder were sampled in a small non-tidal nursery bay with a non-selective drop trap from April to August in 1991 and 1992. Post-settlement patterns were mapped in time and space and related to wind stress and the distribution of a potential predator Crangon crangon L. Both plaice and flounder had a patchy distribution at a sample scale of 1 m². Plaice settlement coincided with timing of onshore winds in 1991 and 1992, while flounder settlement seemed to be unrelated. Plaice settled earlier than flounder and during the early phase of 1-group C. crangon immigration. The first appearance of flounder occurred simultaneously with the peak biomass of predatory C. crangon . Plaice occurred in the deeper part of the bay together with C. crangon , while flounder preferred shallow shore waters. We propose that different temporal (plaice) and spatial (flounder) strategies have evolved in order to minimize the risk of shrimp predation after settlement.     

Developmental defects in pelagic fish embryos from the western Baltic

In February/March 1983 and 1984 a survey of pelagic fish eggs was conducted in the western Baltic (Kiel Bight), employing a horizontally towed plankton net (1 m Ø and 300 μm mesh). Maximum egg numbers in the upper meter of the S=21×10^?3 salinity layer were 200·100 m^?3. The most abundant eggs were cod (up to 142 eggs·100 m^?3), followed by plaice (up to 74 eggs·100 m^?3) and flounder (20 eggs·100 m^?3). A considerable percentage of embryos of all species displayed aberrant development. In 1983 18% of cod, 22% of flounder and 24% of plaice eggs caught contained defective embryos; in 1984 this number was larger, ranging from 28% in plaice over 32% in cod to 44% in flounder. Early developmental stages showed the highest malformation rates (up to 51% in the case of early flounder embryos). With progressive development, malformations decreased in numbers, being lowest prior to hatching. Highest rates of malformations were recorded in the Mecklenburg Bight in 1983. A second area with high incidence of malformation rates was located south and east of the island of Langeland. Several reasons, including environmental and anthropogenic factors, for the occurrence of malformed embryos in pelagic fish eggs are discussed. The potential of malformation rates in embryos of pelagic fish eggs as a tool for monitoring is considered.     

The histopathology of infection by Lepeophtheirus pectoralis (Müller) (Copepoda: Caligidae)

The histology of the pectoral fin of the flounder, Platichthys flesus. (L.), is described and the presence of eosinophilic granule cells in the epidermis was noted. The histopathological effects of infection by L. pectoralis result from the attachment and feeding activity of the parasite. Although the damage inflicted by L. pectoralis is usually confined to the epidermis the lesions caused by sessile life cycle stages, adult females and chalimus larvae, often extend into the dermis. In the dermis the inflammatory response comprised fibroplasia and cellular infiltration which resulted in the formation of a dense fibrous granulation tissue.     

Intraspecific nest parasitism in the grey starling (Sturnus cineraceus)

We studied intraspecific nest parasitism in the grey starling (Sturnus cineraceus) in 1992 and 1993. We used three criteria to detect nest parasitism: (i) the appearance of more than one egg per day while the host was laying; (ii) the appearance of extra eggs after the host completed its clutch; and (iii) the appearance of eggs which were of a different shape, size and color to other eggs in the clutch. There were 290 nests (157 nests in 1992; 133 nests in 1993) in which the clutch was completed early (clutches initiated before May 10). Twenty-nine (1992) and 32 (1993) nests contained at least one parasitic egg. Parasitic eggs hatched if they were laid during the laying period and early in the incubation period of their host, and a few of them fledged. Fledging success of parasitic eggs was not different from that of eggs in non-parasitized nests if parasitic eggs were laid during the host's laying period. However, fledging success of all parasitic eggs was fewer than that of eggs in non-parasitized nests. By comparison, fledging success of parasitized nests was not a great as that of non-parasitized nests.     

Survey of the metazoan ectoparasites of the European flounder Platichthys flesus (Linnaeus, 1758) along the north-central Portuguese coast

A survey was undertaken to identify metazoan ectoparasite species on the European flounder, Platichthys flesus (Linnaeus, 1758), in 4 different locations off the north-central Portuguese coast. Parasites of 7 different taxa were found: Caligus diaphanus, Caligus sp., and Lepeophtheirus pectoralis (Copepoda: Caligidae); Acanthochondria cornuta (Copepoda: Chondracanthidae); Holobomolochus confusus (Copepoda: Bomolochidae); Nerocila orbignyi (Isopoda: Cymotholdae); and praniza larvae (Isopoda: Gnathiidae). Lernaeocera branchialis, a common European flounder parasite in the North and Baltic Seas, was not observed among the surveyed fish. Caligus diaphanus, Caligus sp., and Nerocila orbignyi are new host records. The high prevalence and intensity values recorded for L. pectoralis and A. cornuta suggest that both parasite species are common to the European flounder along the north-central Portuguese coast. In contrast, infection levels with respect to the other parasite taxa were, in most cases, comparatively lower, thereby indicating that they only occur occasionally among flounders in the surveyed area.     

Sexual maturation in female triploid plaice, Pleuronectes platessa, and plaice × flounder, Platichthys flesus, hybrids

The gonads of immature female triploid plaice ( Pleuronectes plafcssa ) and plaice × flounder ( Platichthys flesus ) hybrids produced from cold-shocked eggs were examined. They were less than half the size of those in diploids of similar age and contained only small numbers of developing oocytes. These were similar both in size and cytological appearance to those in the controls. The bulk of the ovarian tissue was composed of nests of small undifferentiated cells resembling the oogonia in the ovaries of diploid fish. Mature, 5 year old triploid hybrids which had not produced eggs over the previous two spawning seasons were killed in January when the diploid controls were nearing spawning condition. The ovaries of these fish were smaller than those of the controls and contained degenerating oocytes at maturation stage V. The advantage of sterile female triploid fish for fish-cultivation is discussed.     

The status of flounders, Platichthys flesus L., as hosts of the Acanthocephalan Pomphorhynchus laevis (Müller) and its survival in marine conditions

The status of flounders as hosts of Pomphorhynchus laevis and its survival in both freshwater and marine habitats was studied in the wild and by means of laboratory investigations. Natural infections were found in flounders in the euryhaline regions of the River Avon but not in adjacent or distant regions of the English Channel. Pomphorhynchus laevis of freshwater origin survived and grew but did not become sexually mature in natural infections of flounders in the Avon or in flounders maintained in fresh water and sea water in the laboratory. The position of the parasite in the alimentary canal of its host changed in flounders but not in eels in response to the changing conditions within the flounder with increasing salinity. In the Baltic Sea P. laevis grew to a larger size, became sexually mature and occupied a different position, the rectum, in both flounders and plaice. It is suggested that marine and Baltic parasites constitute a different strain of P. laevis , one which completes its entire life cycle in the marine habitat and for which flounder is the preferred host. By contrast, flounders are not even a suitable host for the English freshwater strain of P. laevis although individual parasites may be carried to sea in this and other migratory fish and survive in this medium for varying periods. The sea appears to be a major barrier to dispersal of this freshwater strain, and this largely explains the restricted and discontinuous distribution of the parasite in Britain.     

Oxygenation properties of haemoglobins from the flatfish plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) and flounder (Platichthys flesus)

Summary The oxygen binding properties and some haematological data of haemoglobins of plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) and flounder (Platichthys flesus) were measured and compared, with the view of discerning their adaptations to the benthic habitat.Compared to plaice, flounders posses higher haematocrit and haemoglobin levels, and their haemoglobin has a higher oxygen affinity, smaller Bohr and Root effects and appears to have a greater ATP sensitivity. At pH 7.6, the half-saturation oxygen tensions,P ₅₀, of stripped plaice and flounder haemoglobins amount to about 5.9 and 4.2 torr, and the Bohr shifts (logP ₅₀/ pH) to –0.51 and –0.34, respectively. The species differences in the oxygen binding patterns occur after stripping the haemoglobin in solution, from dissolved ions and thus appear to be inherent in the pigment molecules. The differences suggest that the haemoglobin of flounder is better adapted to hypoxic and hypercarbic environments than plaice haemoglobin, in accordance with the more inshore occurrence of the former species.The molar ratios of ATP to haemoglobin tetramers are low in plaice and flounder (about 1.6); in plaice this ratio corresponds to that where the cofactor effect is most pronounced. In contrast to previous evidence for an adaptive reduction in the temperature dependence of the haemoglobin of flounder but not of plaice from the Baltic Sea (Friedrich, 1935), the same temperature effects were found in representatives of the two species both from the Dutch North Sea and the Danish Kattegat.     

The distribution of 0-group flatfish in relation to abiotic factors on the tidal flats in the brackish Dollard (Ems Estuary, Wadden Sea)

The distribution of 0-group flatfish was investigated in 1992 in the Dollard (Ems–Dollard estuary, Wadden Sea). 0-Group plaice, flounder and sole were not evenly distributed over the sampled locations. The spatial distribution pattern of 0-group flatfish in the Dollard changed during the investigation period. In the first week of sole presence, when the mean length of sole was 24–30 mm, salinity correlated significantly with sole density. The distribution of juvenile sole larger than 40 mm total length was affected by the elevation of the location: 0-group sole was restricted to the sampled site with the lowest elevation. The distribution of 0-group plaice was related to sediment: no juvenile plaice were caught at locations with more than 10% mud fraction in the sediment. The distribution of 0-group flounder was also correlated with sediment. Later in the year, salinity correlated negatively with the distribution of 0-group flounder. The influence of sediment composition is probably indirect and linked to the abundance of preferred food items, such as Corophium volutator . Abiotic conditions were suitable to 0-group plaice, flounder and sole.     

Some aspects of the biology of the cercaria and metacercaria of Stephanostomum baccatum (Nicoll, 1907) Manter, 1934 (Digenea: Acanthocolpidae)

Experimental proof is presented that Cercaria neptunae Lebour is the cercaria of Stephanostomum baccatum and that the gastropods Buccinum undatum (L.) and Neptunea antiqua (L.) both act as its first intermediate hosts in the north-east Atlantic. Heavy experimental infections were associated with mortalities of 0+plaice Pleuronectes platessa (L.). The probable effects on plaice of infections at intensities below the lethal level are discussed. Under natural conditions almost all S. baccatum infection of plaice occurs in the first year of life, but newly emerged cercariae were shown experimentally to be capable of encysting in the musculature of plaice up to three years old. The thicker epidermis of older plaice may account for their resistance to infection. Common dabs were more easily infected than plaice. The ability of S. baccatum cercariae to infect plaice and common dabs is inversely related to the length of time between emergence and contact with the host. The differences in skin structure between opposite sides of the plaice body may account for the asymmetrical distribution of metacercariae in the musculature. The potential use of S. baccatum as a biological tag is discussed.     

Attachment-inducing capacities of fish skin epithelial extracts on oncomiracidia of Benedenia seriolae (Monogenea: Capsalidae)

Attachment-inducing capacities of skin epithelial extracts of yellowtail, Japanese flounder and red sea bream on oncomiracidia of the monogenean Benedenia seriolae were examined. Clear differences were not detected in the capacity among the fish species, although B. seriolae infects only yellowtail and its congeners in Seriola. This suggests that either the capacity is not host specific or host-specific attachment-inducing capacity cannot be detected by the assay method. Further, the attachment-inducing capacities were suppressed by wheat-germ lectin and concanavalin A in skin epithelial extracts of Japanese flounder and yellowtail, respectively. This suggests that some sugar-related chemical substances existing in fish epithelia induce the attachment of B. seriolae oncomiracidia.     

Genetic heterogeneity within populations of Lepeophtheirus europaensis (Copepoda: Caligidae) parasitic on two host species

, and 1992. Genetic heterogeneity within populations of Lepeophtheirus europaensis (Copepoda: Caligidae) parasitic on two host species. International Journal for Parasitology 22: 1179–1181. The ectoparasitic copepod Lepeophtheirus europaensis exploits two different species of Mediterranean flat fishes: the brill (a marine fish) and the flounder (found in lagoons). Analysis of the genetic structure of these parasite populations revealed that migration is reduced between the two hosts. Moreover, an adaptive polymorphism was found when the survival of the eggs and free larvae of these copepods was studied at different salinities. The results are discussed and interpreted as signs of a probable speciation process currently occurring within this parasite taxon.