Abstract

Contribution to the knowledge of the infection with Acanthocephala of a predatory Antarctic ice-fish [Chaenocephalus aceratus]

Adult females of a predatory fish, the blackfin icefish, [Chaenocephalus aceratus] examined at the South Shetland Islands and South Orkney Islands were by several orders of magnitude more infected with Acanthocephala than the males and immature females. Such phenomenon has not been observed in the neritic zone at South Georgia. Cystacanths of [Corynosoma hamanni] and [Corynosoma pseudohamanni] were the dominant parasites in Admiralty Bay, whereas [Corynosoma bullosum] was the dominant in the open sea off the South Shetland Islands and South Georgia, and in the sub-coastal waters off the South Orkney Islands. However, the dominance of [C. bullosum] was observed in several hosts in Admiralty Bay and the co-dominance of [C. bullosum, C. hamanni], and [C. pseudohamanni] in one mature female in the neritic zone at the South Shetland Islands. Probably, these fish previously lived in the open sea. Cystacanths of [Corynosoma arctocephali] and [Corynosoma shackletoni] occurred in the fish in Admiralty Bay and off South Georgia. The former parasite was present also off the South Orkney Islands. One cystacanth of [Andracantha baylisi] was found off South Georgia. Two echinorhynchids, [Aspersentis megarhynchus] and [Metacanthocephalus dalmori], occurred in the alimentary tracts of the fish caught in Admiralty Bay and one specimen of [Echinorhynchus petrotschenkoi] off the South Shetland Islands. The highest infection, amounting to 816 acanthocephalans, was found in a mature female in Admiralty Bay. One cystacanth of [C. hamanni] occurred in a single immature fish caught in the sub-coastal area off Deception Island.

Details

Title
Contribution to the knowledge of the infection with Acanthocephala of a predatory Antarctic ice-fish Chaenocephalus aceratus
Author
Laskowski, Zdzislaw; Zdzitowiecki, Krzysztof
First page
303
Publication year
2010
Publication date
2010
Publisher
Polish Academy of Sciences
ISSN
01380338
e-ISSN
20818262
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
1323954933
Copyright
Copyright Versita Jan 2010