First Record of Bothriocephalus acheilognathi in the Rio Grande with Comparative Analysis of ITS2 and V4‐18S rRNA Gene Sequences

Abstract

Bothriocephalus acheilognathi is an introduced tapeworm in North America often reported as a serious ecological threat to native fishes. In this paper, we report the first record of B. acheilognathi in the Big Bend region of the Rio Grande in Texas (known as the Río Bravo del Norte in Mexico). Identification of B. acheilognathi was confirmed by morphologic and genetic techniques (sequences of ITS2 and V4-18S rRNA genes). Its prevalence was 27% and its intensity ranged from 1 to 5 individuals in a January 2006 collection of 115 red shiners Cyprinella lutrensis. In addition, it was found in the Tamaulipas shiner Notropis braytoni, a Rio Grande endemic and a new host record. The occurrence of B. acheilognathi might have negative ecological impacts on endemic fishes in the Rio Grande. Several of the fishes that could serve as definitive hosts are of conservation concern. Its occurrence also might affect the success of reintroducing the Rio Grande silvery minnow Hybognathus amarus, which is federally listed as endangered, in this portion of the Rio Grande.

A redescription of Arostrilepis horrida (Linstow, 1901) and descriptions of two new species from Palaearctic microtine rodents, Arostrilepis macrocirrosa sp. n. and A. tenuicirrosa sp. n. (Cestoda: Hymenolepididae)

“…the DNA was extracted using a standard phenolchloroform protocol as described by Vainio et al (1998) andsambrook andrussell (2002). A fragment of the its2 region of the rRNA was amplified using the following primers: Proteo 1 F (5'-cgg tgg Atc Act cgg ctc-3') and Proteo 2 r (5'-tcc TCC GCT TAT TGA TAT GC-3') (Škeříková et al 2001(Škeříková et al , Bean et al 2007). The cycling profile consisted of an initial denaturation for 2:30 min at 95 °c, 35 cycles of 45 s at 95 °c, 45 s at 53 °c, 1 min at 72 °C and a final extension at 72 °C for 10 min.…”

Infection level of the Asian tapeworm (Bothriocephalus acheilognathi) in the cyprinid fish, Schizothorax niger, from Anchar Lake, relative to season, sex, length and condition factor

“…In last four decades, B. acheilognathi has received considerable attention and various aspects of its systematic and biology (Pool et al 1985;Pool et al 1987;Hubbs et al 1991;Díaz-Castaneda 1995;Scholz 1997;Bean et al 2007), ecology (Andrews et al 1981;Brouder and Hoffnagle 1997;Dove and Fletcher 2000), pathology (Scott and Grizzle 1979;Hansen et al 2006) and seasonal dynamics and effect of temperature (Klenov 1972;Granath and Esch 1983b) have been studied by different research workers, but the work on seasonal dynamics has not been done on a large scale and in different regions, but the work on seasonal dynamics has not been done on a large scale and in different regions. Furthermore, work on seasonal dynamics has not been related to the trophic condition of the water body.…”

Impact ofBothriocephalus acheilognathi(Cestoda: Pseudophyllidea) onCyprinella lutrensisCondition and Reproduction

“…Red shiner, Cyprinella lutrensis, was used as a surrogate to estimate potential impacts on condition and reproduction for other imperiled cyprinid taxa and because of its widespread distribution and high abundance in the Rio Grande drainage. Big Bend National Park was selected because of the prevalence of B. acheilognathi within that reach of the Rio Grande (Bean et al 2007). Fulton condition factors were compared between infected and uninfected red shiners to determine impacts on growth.…”