Dynamics of the parasite fauna of various forms of chars, salvelinus alpinus L., of the Lake Azabach'e basin]

The paper deals with age changes in the parasite fauna of different intraspecific forms of chars. It is shown that this year brood and yearlings of predatory, benthofagous, stream and anadromous chars up to 10 cm in length have a similar parasite fauna. During the second year of life the chars come to different feeding; correspondingly changes their parasite fauna which differs considerably in the above forms of chars. Two groups of parasites are distinguished the infection with which increases and decreases with the age of fishes. Observations were carried out on the life cycles, developmental and maturation periods of some parasites of chars. Biological peculiarities of some mixosporidia are studied. A shift in the developmental periods of helminths is noted as compared to those from the European part of the USSR.     

Parasite fauna of the landlocked Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. in the basin of Namsen river

The 26 specimens of the landlocked Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. from Namsen river and its tributary Melingselva river (central Norway) were studied by the method of complete parasitological examination in the period of 1997-1998. The 15 parasite species have been recovered. Ration of parasite with a direct and complex cycle is approximately equal, 6 and 9 respectively. Larval stages of parasites predominate among the parasites with a complex cycle. The parasite fauna fond in the landlocked Atlantic salmon is most similar to that in youngsters of the lake salmon (Salmo salar morpha sebago Girard) and the migrating Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.).     

Observations on the pigmentation of the monogeneans, Anoplodiscus spp. (family Anoplodiscidae) in different microhabitats on their sparid teleost hosts.

The monogeneans Anoplodiscus australis and A. cirrusspiralis infect the fins of their respective hosts, the yellowfin bream, Acanthopagrus australis, and the snapper, Pagrus auratus. In these habitats the adult parasite contains melanin-like pigment deposits within the body. Very young parasites lack the pigment but deposits of pigment appear and coalesce into dense deposits within the parasite as it grows. The evidence suggests that the pigment is synthesized within the body of the parasite rather than acquired through feeding on the host epidermis. However, adults of Anoplodiscus cirrusspiralis from the nares of snapper lack this pigment, which suggests that environmental cues may promote the production of pigment as a possible aid to camouflage.     

The parasite fauna of the chub mackerel (Scombridae: Scomber japonicus Houttuyn, 1782) in the central-eastern Atlantic (Atlantic coast of the Northern Africa and the Azores Archipelago banks)

The parasite fauna of the chub mackerel Scomber japonicus Houtuym, 1782 was studied from the neritic areas of Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania and from the banks of the Azores Archipelago (the Great Meteor Bank, the Hyeres Bank and the Irving Bank) in 1994-2001. Twenty eight species of parasites of following group have been were found: Coccidia (1 species), Microsporidia (1), Myxosporea (4), Monogenea (4), Cestoda (5), Trematoda (5), Acanthocephala (1) and Nematoda (6). The differences between mackerel parasite fauna in the neritic areas and from of the Azores Archipelago banks were established. Peculiarities of the mackerel parasite fauna in two areas (Morocco--Western Sahara and Mauritania) corroborate the hypothesis that two populations of chub mackerel are available: "Sahara-Moroccan" and "Senegal-Mauritanian". Ontogenetic variability of parasite fauna was related to food demands of mackerel and its feeding habits in the areas Morocco and Mauritania. Kudoa histolytica has negative influence on the commercial value of S. japonicus. These parasites were localized in the muscles of mackerel from Mauritania (40%, TL = 20-25 cm). Parasites being dangerous for human health were presented by larvae of Bolbosoma sp. (occurred on the banks of the Azores Archipelago), Anisakis simplex and Contracaecum sp. (occurred in all areas investigated).     

The sites occupied by the acanthocephalan Pomphorhynchus laevis in the alimentary canal of fish.

The distribution of the acanthocephalan Pomphorhynchus laevis along the alimentary tract of several species of freshwaster fish was studied in both natural and experimental infections. The parasite exhibits a clear preference for a particular region of the alimentary canal, which differs from host species to host species, but it is capable of surviving in all regions of the intestine. In some species, but not in all, its growth rate may be reduced in regions outside of the preferred site. The parsite remains in the same site throughout the period of infection, emigrations occurring only preparatory to complete loss of the parasite from the host. The presence of cestodes in the region of the preferred site has no effect upon the distribution of the parasite. At high levels of infection the range of the parsite's distribution is extended. The feeding of larval parasites to fish by stomach tube also leads to an extension of range, whereas when fish are allowed to feed on cystacanths removed from their intermediate host the parasite establishes in a more anterior position than usual and in a site that it does not occupy to any extent in natural infections. It is concluded that the distribution of P. laevis in the alimentary canal of fish is determined primarily by the process of liberation, activation and establishment of the parasite, and that it normally attaches in the first available space and remains there. Unsuitable physico-chemical or feeding conditions affect only its growth, not the site that it occupies. It is suggested that P. laevis may be atypical in this respect.     

The role of the rock cod Notothenia coriiceps Richardson, 1844 in the life-cycle of Antarctic parasites

Fifty specimens of Notothenia coriiceps caught in Potter Cove, King George Island, were examined for ecto- and endoparasites. Of the 22 parasite species found, 18 were helminths, 2 were hirudineans and 2 were crustaceans. The isopod Aega antarctica and an unidentified hirudinean are reported for the first time from this fish host. Dominant parasites were the adults of Aspersentis megarhynchus, the invasive stage of Corynosoma spp. (cystacanth) and the adults of Macvicaria pennelli, with respective prevalences of infestation of 94, 76 and 74%. The preferred sites of infestation were the pylorus and intestine, where five different larval (nematodes and cestodes) and eight adult (digeneans and acanthocephalans) parasite species were found. No adult nematodes and cestodes were found and no parasites could be isolated from the musculature. The results of the present study are related to previous findings on the parasite fauna of N. coriiceps. The comparison implies a high parasite diversity in this benthic Antarctic fish species. Most parasites found appear to have a wide range of distribution within Antarctic waters together with a low host specificity. Besides its role as final host for several species of trematodes and acanthocephalans, N. coriiceps serves as transmitter of parasite larvae to piscivorous birds and seals. It is concluded that the parasite fauna in Antarctic fish species provides important insights into the different habitat use and trophic relationship of their fish hosts. Received: 11 September 1997 / Accepted: 12 January 1998     

Anthropogenic impact on fish parasite fauna in lakes

Anthropogenic influence on the fish parasite fauna in lakes is studied. Three types of the influence are considered, namely pollution by industrial effluent, anthropogenic eutrophication, and development of aquaculture. Their effects on the fish parasite fauna were found to be different.     

Ecology of helminth communities in tropical Australian amphibians.

Less than 50% of Australian amphibians have been recorded as hosts for helminth parasites. Despite developments in parasite community ecology in amphibians elsewhere, Australia lags behind with only two publications on this subject. Reasons advanced for this are that much of the collecting and taxonomic studies were conducted earlier this century before more recent discoveries of host genera and species as well as species complexes in the amphibian fauna. Consequently, there is a need for re-collection of hosts and parasites, and taxonomic revision of the parasites. In addition, as shown in this study, the parasite fauna in Australian amphibians is depauperate. Composition of the parasite fauna was largely dependent on the ecological associations of the host animal species. Frogs were infected with few helminth species and these occurred at low intensity, indicating, as in Europe and North America, that a depauperate fauna is also characteristic of amphibians in tropical regions.     

Comparison of the parasitic fauna of Aplocheilus panchax and A. melastigma

The metazoan parasite fauna of two species of freshwater fishes Aplocheilus panchax and A. melastigma collected from a stream at Waltair is compared; 17 parasite species were found. Aplocheilus panchax served as a host to 13 parasite species and A. melastigma to 10 parasite species. Of the 17 parasites collected, 12 were larval helminths to which the fishes act as intermediate and paratenic hosts. This has been attributed to the interaction between terrestrial birds, mammals and fishes in determining the parasite fauna in the biocoenosis. The parasite fauna of these fishes is divided into typical and less typical according to their frequencies. Among less typical there are peripheral division parasites which are abundant in other fishes in the stream. Only six parasite species occurred in both A. panchax and A. melastigma and both fish shared most of their parasite fauna with other fishes. Differences in the parasite fauna of these fishes are attributed to the morphological, behavioural or ecological features of these fishes.     

Ecological succession of parasitic fauna of fishes in lakes

Succession of fish parasite fauna in lakes (with example of Baltic shield) was investigated. At the middle oligotrophic stage, the fauna of parasites and fishes maintain a relative stability for a long period and characterised by maximum species diversity.     

Characteristics of the parasite fauna of the Atlantic salmon fry (Salmo salar L.) in the Teno river system of North Finland

The diversity of parasite fauna of the Atlantic salmon parr from the Teno River and its tributaries recovered in 1993-1995 is discribed. 35 parasite species were found, the majority of them are represented by the parasites with a direct cycle of development. High prevalence of infection with Chloromyxum januaricus wes detected.     

Data on intestinal parasites of lower monkeys in the Adler apery

Under captive conditions, a parasite fauna connected with the changes in ecological conditions, feeding, and mode of life is usually formed in monkeys. Species composition of the intestinal parasites has been investigated in six species of the monkeys (Macaca mulatta, M. fascicularis, M. nemestrina, Ceropithecus aethiops, Papio hamadryas, and P. anubis), which were born in the Adler apery and live there for a long time. A comparison with similar investigations carried out in the Sukhumi apery, where the climatic and keeping conditions are practically identical with those in the Adler apery, was conducted. Parasite fauna of monkeys in the Adler apery was found to include three species of Nematoda (Ascaris sp., Trichocephalus sp., and Strongyloides sp.) and two species of Protozoa (Balantidium coli and Lamblia intestinalis). In our material, Trichocephalus sp. is the dominant parasite species among helminthes, and Balantidium coli is the most frequent species of Protozoa. The commonness in the transmission of these parasites and similarity in their life cycles contribute to the forming of polyinvasions in monkeys.     

Living on the edge: parasite taxonomy in Australia

The way in which the huge Australian parasite fauna is described (discovery and naming) is the subject of this address. The approach to the task has never been well-organised so that a few groups of parasites are now relatively well-known because of the efforts of small groups of workers who have made sustained efforts in these groups, but equally some host-parasite systems have been almost completely ignored in that no worker has ever given them sustained attention. A high proportion of Australian parasites have been described by international workers. The sustaining of interest in a group of parasites over a long period is the key to real progress being made. The nature of the organisation of Australian science presently means that few positions are available for parasite taxonomists and funding for taxonomic research is scarce. Thus, parasite taxonomy (like the taxonomy of many groups of Australian plants and animals) can only be considered to be in crisis.     

Parasites of flatfish in relation to sewage sludge dumping

Variations in the occurrence of gastrointestinal metazoan parasites in flatfish were examined in relation to sewage sludge dumping at an 'accumulating' and two 'dispersing' dump sites in Scottish coastal waters. The gross disturbance of the benthic communities at the Garroch Head disposal site in the Firth of Clyde and absence of the intermediate hosts of particular parasites was not reflected in the parasite fauna of the long rough dab, Hippoglossoides platessoides . Results indicate that this flatfish host is highly mobile and intermixing within the population masked any localized effects of sludge dumping on parasite transmission at the dump site. The common dab, Limanda limanda , is considered to be relatively static at the St Abb's Head and Bell Rock disposal sites off the Firth of Forth where no evidence of effects of sewage sludge dumping on its metazoan parasite fauna was detected. This is consistent with the results of chemical and biological monitoring of the sites. The value of a parasite-based index of the biological effects of sewage sludge dumping is discussed.     

The parasite fauna of cod (Gadus morhua L.) in Balsfjord,North Norway

Summary Samples of cod from Balsfjord, a subarctic fjord in North Norway, were collected and the fauna of macro-parasites was classified zoogeographically. The results revealed an impoverished and to a large extent boreal parasite fauna compared with that of cod from the Barents Sea. Because of the last glaciation Balsfjord is a relatively young ecosystem, and the silled entrance surrounded by an archipelago also makes the fjord a rather isolated system. This together with its small size may be important factors in explaining the character of its parasite fauna. The colonization by boreal parasites of both the Barents Sea and Balsfjord probably reflects the direction of the main currents.     

Patterns of intestinal parasitism in the mountain gorilla Gorilla gorilla in the Bwindi-Impenetrable Forest, Uganda

The intestinal parasite fauna of the mountain gorillas of Bwindi—Impenetrable Forest, Uganda was studied by means of faecal examination and a single post-mortem. The fauna was remarkably uniform between social groups and individuals, showing only slight differences between age groups; there is no evidence of any interaction between the parasites observed. The only protozoa were entodiniomorph ciliates; amoebae and flagellates were absent. Helminths included a single host-specific cestode species and at least five nematodes, three of which are hostspecific. The closest relatives of the host-specific parasites are found in ungulates and paenungulates, not in hosts phylogenetically related to the gorilla.
This unique and specialized parasite fauna deserves to be monitored so that any effects of the habituation of the gorillas for tourism can be assessed.     

Parasite fauna of bream Abramis brama and roach Rutilus rutilus from a man-made waterway and a freshwater habitat in northern Germany

Fifty specimens each of bream Abramis brama and roach Rutilus rutilus were examined for metazoan parasite fauna and trichodinid ciliates; 25 specimens of each species were collected from the Kiel Canal, a man-made waterway, and a nearby freshwater lake, the Dieksee. This is the first detailed parasitological examination of A. brama and R. rutilus at these locations: 30 parasite species were found, comprising 4 protozoans, 4 myxozoans, 5 digeneans, 3 monogeneans, 2 cestodes, 6 nematodes, 2 acanthocephalans, 3 crustaceans and 1 hirudinean. The crustacean Caligus lacustris occurred in both habitats while 2 other crustacean species, 2 acanthocephalans and 1 hirudinean were recorded exclusively for the lake habitat. Larval as well as adult stages of the different parasite species were found, indicating that both fish species act as intermediate and final hosts in both habitats. The Kiel Canal (total of 17 parasite species) showed a lower parasite species richness for A. brama and R. rutilus (14 and 10 parasite species, respectively) than the lake (25 parasite species). A. brama had a higher parasite richness (22 species) than R. rutilus (16 species) in the lake habitat. Most parasites collected were of freshwater origin. Consequently, the observed infection pattern of both fish species in the waterway is mainly influenced by the limited salinity tolerance of freshwater parasites, which are negatively affected even by a salinity of 2.3 to 4.5. In the central Kiel Canal, neither fish species was infected with marine parasites of low host specifity. These parasites are either limited by the low salinity at this sampling site (<4.5 to 6.0) or they cannot enter the canal due to the environmental conditions prevailing in this artificial brackish water habitat. Thus, the canal may comprise a natural barrier preventing the distribution of North Sea parasites into the Baltic Sea. However, the brackish water Baltic Sea nematodes Paracuaria adunca and Cosmocephalus obvelatus were found in R. rutilus from the canal, demonstrating the ability of some parasite species to invade and extend their range of distribution through this man-made shipping route from the Baltic to the North Sea.     

Formation of parasite fauna in the bullhead (Cottus gobio L.) (Pisces: Cottidae)

The formation of parasite fauna in the bullhead Cottus gobio L. in different water bodies was examined. The largest number of parasite species including specific parasites was observed in the Onega and Ladoga lakes. It is suggested that the host and their parasites migrated namely from these water bodies to other part of the range of the bullhead.     

Parasite communities of Adriatic cage-reared fish

From June 2001 to March 2002, 7 semi-offshore facilities in the Adriatic Sea rearing sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax, sea bream Sparus aurata, sharpsnout bream Diplodus puntazzo and red sea bream Pagellus bogaraveo aged 1+, were monitored for the presence of protozoan and metazoan parasites. Obtained data sets of abundance and prevalence were used to evaluate the structure and dynamic of infra- and component parasite communities. In all hosts, except the red sea bream, dominant parasites were monogenean specialists, showing clear seasonality. Average infracommunity richness was very low, ranging from 1 to 3 parasites per fish, while at component community level, values ranged from 3 to 8, depending on host species. Based on low diversity indices and a moderate to high similarity coefficient between different facilities, it can be concluded that the parasitofauna of Adriatic cage-reared fish is a stable and impoverished stochastic assemblage, with monogeneans as the predominant parasitic group.     

On the European smelt <Emphasis Type="Italic">Osmerus eperlanus</Emphasis> introduced to Bolshoi Kisegach Lake in the South Urals

In the European smelt introduced to Bolshoi Kisegach Lake (the South Urals) in 1930 the following parameters are investigated: size-age parameters, feeding, fecundity, infestation with parasites, and distribution of the water area. The smelt occupied a free niche of the profundal zone with a permanent low temperature (4–10°C). In the introduced smelt, there is no predation, it is planktivorous, its parasite fauna is impoverished, and the age series is reduced. The age structure and preference of cold water of the isolated population confirm the leading role of the temperature factor in the origin of short-cycle forms.