The marine limpet 'Notoacmea scapha' acts as a transmission sink for intertidal cercariae in Otago Harbour, New Zealand

Abstract

Marine limpets, 'Notoacmea scapha', were collected from an intertidal mud flat in Otago Harbour, New Zealand, and examined for infection with larval trematodes. Three separate species of trematode (opecoelid sp. A, 'Acanthoparyphium' sp. A and 'Curtuteria australis') were identified from the limpets, based on molecular evidence. This is the first report of these three trematodes in limpets, indicating that the latter are physiologically suitable second-intermediate hosts. However, based on ecological information on the diet of the parasites' definitive hosts, we conclude that the limpet 'N. scapha' does not contribute to the transmission of any of the trematodes. Instead, it acts as a sink for cercariae that fail to locate appropriate second-intermediate hosts.