Occurrence and histopathological effects of Monstrilla sp. (Copepoda: Monstrilloida) and other parasites in the brown mussel Perna perna from Brazil

Abstract

During a parasitological survey of the brown mussel Perna perna from highly productive culture fields in the southern sector of Brazil, monstrilloid copepods were discovered in the mantle of this mytilid bivalve. Numerous specimens of endoparasitic copepods were found within nodules in the mantle of the host; they belong to an undetermined species of Monstrilla. Monstrilloid copepods were known to be endoparasitic in polychaetes and in one species of prosobranch mollusc only; their occurrence as parasites of bivalve molluscs has not been previously documented. This is also the first record of these crustaceans infecting commercial molluscs. The prevalence of Monstrilla sp. infecting the brown mussel was 25.6%. At the histological level, it was observed that the larvae induced a strong haemocytic infiltration resulting from the complete larval encapsulation within the host mantle. The effect of this monstrilloid in the cultured populations of P. perna deserves further study.

Histopathological survey of the mussel Mytilus chilensis (Mytilidae) and the clam Gari solida (Psammobiidae) from southern Chile

“…However, most copepods which use marine bivalves as hosts inhabit the pallial cavity and their body is modified to attach the gills (Kim & Sato, 2010). In Brazil, Da Suárez- Morales et al (2010) reported Monstrilla in the brown mussel Perna perna. By other hand, Ostrincola patagonianus and another, unidentified, but closely related to Tisbe celata copepod, both inhabiting the pallial cavity of Mytilus sp., are known from South America (Humes, 1988;unpubl.…”

The Australian Monstrilloida (Crustacea: Copepoda) I. Monstrillopsis Sars, Maemonstrilla Grygier & Ohtsuka, and Australomonstrillopsis gen. nov.

“…Monstrilloids are protelean parasites of benthic polychaetes and molluscs; most postnaupliar and preadult stages are endoparasitic (Suárez-Morales 2011;Suárez-Morales et al 2010. Only the first naupliar stage, a final, transitory copepodid stage ("subimago"), and the planktonic adults are free-living.…”

The Australian Monstrilloida (Crustacea: Copepoda) II. Cymbasoma Thompson, 1888

“…The nauplii and most copepodid stages of monstrilloid copepods are endoparasites of polychaete worms and prosobranch and bivalve molluscs (Boxshall & Halsey 2004;Suárez-Morales et al 2010, 2013b, but very little is known of their host specificity. The availability of suitable host species for the infective stages is obviously critical to determining the distribution of the free-living adults, but until we have a better understanding of the identity of host species we can only speculate on the factors determining species distributions.…”