Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

The life histories and population dynamics of monogenean gill parasites of Trachurus trachurus (L.)

1962; Cambridge University Press; Volume: 42; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1017/s002531540005428x

1469-7769

J. Llewellyn,

Parasite Biology and Host Interactions

Gastrocotyle trachuri and Pseudaxine trachuri infect young Trachurus trachurus at Plymouth as soon as the 3- or 4-month-old adolescent fishes descend to the sea bottom in October. The parasites normally mature in 3 or 4 months, but, exceptionally, in about 1 month, and the life-span is normally no longer than 1 year. Trachurus specimens at the beginning of their second year pick up a largely new infection of parasites. G. trachuri and P. trachuri are much less frequent on 2- and 3-year-old specimens of Trachurus and probably occur only very rarely on still older fishes, the limiting factor being not an age-immunity but a post-spawning migration of the host from the concentration of free-living infective stages of the parasites in coastal waters. The parasites have adapted themselves to a seasonal change in the feeding habits of Trachurus by ceasing to produce larvae in anticipation of the summer disappearance of scad from the sea bottom in pursuit of pelagic food-organisms.