Impact of a Gill Parasite Upon the Minnow<i>Notropis telescopus</i>

Adrian, Andrew B.; Holmes, Brittany; Stallsmith, Bruce

doi:10.1656/058.011.0103

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…The local breeding season of E. simoterum peaks in March (Boschung and Mayden 2004;personal observation, B. Stallsmith) and is also the month with the highest rates of monogenoidean abundance and prevalence. This increase in parasite load synchronized with the host's breeding effort is consistent with findings in other temperate freshwater teleosts such as Barbatula barbatula (9 S imková et al 2005), Leuciscus cephalus (Lamková et al 2007), and Notropis telescopus (Adrian et al 2012). The increase in parasitism levels may result from a stress-induced compromised host immune system that causes hosts to become less capable of resisting parasite infection.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Patterns of infection by monogenoideans in an assemblage of darters

Hanson

Stallsmith

2013

Journal of Freshwater Ecology

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The study of host-parasite relationships is useful in understanding what might affect host fitness, especially in terms of reproductive success. This study examined infection levels of monogenoidean gill parasites on several species of percid fishes of the genus Etheostoma, especially E. simoterum (Tennessee Snubnose Darter) and also E. caeruleum (Rainbow Darter), E. flabellare (Fantail Darter), and E. kennecotti (Stripetail Darter) through a year-long survey of monthly samples of 11-61 fish from a tributary of the Paint Rock River in northeast Alabama, USA. Among E. simoterum, a range of 0-7 parasites per host was found, with almost 18% of fish examined carrying gill parasites with a mean of 1.9 parasites. Correlations were identified between host breeding season and parasite infection levels, with host breeding months (spring) having the highest infection rates. Etheostoma simoterum length, mass, gender, and condition index were found not to be predictive of monogenoidean gill parasite infection levels. This is consistent with other temperate freshwater teleosts and strongly suggests that the parasite's reproduction and dispersal are timed with the host's reproductive season when water temperature has risen and the host may be immunocompromised. Based on the examination of confocal microscopic imagery, the monogenoidean parasites collected from E. simoterum are of a single unnamed type and are tentatively identified as Aethycteron simoterum sp. novum.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%