Prevalence, intensity, and differential development of Pseudodelphis oligocotti (Nematoda: Dracunculoidea) in sympatric fish hosts of the northeastern Pacific coast

The Journal of Parasitology
Shannon N Bennett, M L Adamson

Abstract

Counter to expectations of coevolved parasite-host relationships, parasites frequently infect hosts that never contribute to their reproduction, making the identification of a parasite's true host-specificity problematic. Pseudodelphis oligocotti (Nematoda: Dracunculoidea) infects several coastal Pacific fishes, but its course of development appears highly variable, suggesting that incidence does not reflect effective host range. To determine the host range of P. oligocotti and describe its relationship to various potential hosts, 24 fish species were examined from several British Columbia localities for prevalence, intensity, and extent and tissue location of parasite development. Pseudodelphis oligocotti infects 9 species of fishes from 5 orders, of which penpoint gunnel, Apodichthys flavidus, showed the highest prevalence and intensity, up to 80% and 19 (+/- 17.1 SD) worms per host, respectively. Although subadult and adult P. oligocotti occurred in all 9 fishes, larvigerous P. oligocotti only occurred in A. flavidus and rarely in the northern clingfish, Gobiesox maeandricus. Infective first-stage larvae were recovered from gill tissue of A. flavidus. Thus, at most only 2 of the 9 host species infected by P. oligocotti actua...Continue Reading

References

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