How host ecology influences the parasite communities of three Australian fathead fishes, Platycephalus spp. (Scorpaeniformes: Platycephalidae)

Title
How host ecology influences the parasite communities of three Australian fathead fishes, Platycephalus spp. (Scorpaeniformes: Platycephalidae)
Publication Date
2024-10-03
Author(s)
Bellingham, Owen
Leung, Tommy L F
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4628-3176
Email: tleung6@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:tleung6
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Springer
Place of publication
Germany
DOI
10.1007/s00436-024-08359-y
UNE publication id
une:1959.11/69151
Abstract

This study investigated the role of host traits, habitat, and sampling season on the prevalence and intensity of parasites in three species of platycephalid fishes. Three host species sampled were dusky fathead (Platycephalus fuscus, n=3), bluespotted fathead (Platycephalus caeruleopunctatus, n=38), and tiger fathead (Platycephalus richardsoni, n=59). A total of 14 metazoan parasite species were collected over 15 months, between July 2020 and September 2021. The parasites found included a chondracanthid copepod, adult hemiuroidean trematodes, cestode plerocercoids, larval and adult acanthocephalans, larval and adult nematodes, and an unknown species of helminth. General linear models were used to assess the relationship between host traits and sampling season with parasite infection intensity. The infection intensity of an unidentified plerocercoid species in P. caeruleopunctatus was found to be significantly associated with both sampling season and the interaction of host mass with sex. In P. richardsoni the infection intensity of the acanthocephalan, Corynosoma sp. was found to correlate with sampling season. The highest richness of parasite taxa was recorded from P. richardsoni, which may be due to the wide depth range of P. richardsoni, coupled with its generalist diet.

Link
Citation
Parasitology Research, v.123, p. 1-10
ISSN
1432-1955
0932-0113
Start page
1
End page
10
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International

Files:

NameSizeformatDescriptionLink
openpublished/HowHostLeung2024JournalArticle.pdf 943.637 KB application/pdf Published Version View document