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Parasite Fauna Development in Juvenile Bluegills and Largemouth Bass

1990; Wiley; Volume: 119; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1577/1548-8659(1990)119 2.3.co;2

1548-8659

Steven A. Fischer, William E. Kelso,

Parasites and Host Interactions

We assessed parasite prevalence (frequency of occurrence) and intensity (mean number per infected host) in juvenile bluegills Lepomis macrochirus and largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides collected from an overflow pond of the lower Mississippi River from March through December 1986. Bluegills and largemouth bass were hosts to 11 and 12 parasite taxa, 9 of which parasitized both fishes. Monogenea dominated the parasite load of all size-classes of largemouth bass, whereas Allacanthochasmus sp. (Trematoda) was the predominate parasite in bluegills under 50 mm in total length. Parasite loads increased quickly as spring progressed, and nearly all the juvenile fishes over 25 mm long supported a parasite fauna. Seasonal changes in the abundance of parasites were evident for most taxa. Increases in Monogenea intensity with host length appeared to be related to increases in gill surface area, whereas factors other than host tissue mass appeared to regulate the intensity of endoparasite infection. Diet composition of the two species appeared to influence relative infection rates by Proteocephalus ambloplitis (Cestoda) and Neoechinorhynchus cylindratus (Acanthocephala). Differences in spatial distribution between fish and invertebrate hosts may have contributed to differences in parasitism by Allacanthochasmus sp. and Posthodiplostomum minimum (Trematoda) between the two centrarchids.