Lighten up the dark: metazoan parasites as indicators for the ecology of Antarctic crocodile icefish (Channichthyidae) from the north-west Antarctic Peninsula

PeerJ

article

Thomas Kuhn¹  Vera M.A. Zizka²  Julian Münster¹  Regina Klapper¹  Simonetta Mattiucci³  Judith Kochmann¹  Sven Klimpel¹ 

[1] Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre;Aquatic Ecosystem Research, Faculty of Biology, University of Duisburg-Essen;Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Section of Parasitology, University of Roma “La Sapienza”

关键词: Channichthyidae;    Anisakid nematodes;    Contracaecum;    Pseudoterranova;    Champsocephalus gunnari;    Chaenodraco wilsoni;    Neopagetopsis ionah;    Pagetopsis macropterus;    Pseudochaenichthys georgianus;    Antarctica;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.4638

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Due to its remote and isolated location, Antarctica is home to a unique diversity of species. The harsh conditions have shaped a primarily highly adapted endemic fauna. This includes the notothenioid family Channichthyidae. Their exceptional physiological adaptations have made this family of icefish the focus of many studies. However, studies on their ecology, especially on their parasite fauna, are comparatively rare. Parasites, directly linked to the food chain, can function as biological indicators and provide valuable information on host ecology (e.g., trophic interactions) even in remote habitats with limited accessibility, such as the Southern Ocean. In the present study, channichthyid fish (Champsocephalus gunnari: n = 25, Chaenodraco wilsoni: n = 33, Neopagetopsis ionah: n = 3, Pagetopsis macropterus: n = 4, Pseudochaenichthys georgianus: n = 15) were collected off South Shetland Island, Elephant Island, and the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula (CCAML statistical subarea 48.1). The parasite fauna consisted of 14 genera and 15 species, belonging to the six taxonomic groups including Digenea (four species), Nematoda (four), Cestoda (two), Acanthocephala (one), Hirudinea (three), and Copepoda (one). The stomach contents were less diverse with only Crustacea (Euphausiacea, Amphipoda) recovered from all examined fishes. Overall, 15 new parasite-host records could be established, and possibly a undescribed genotype or even species might exist among the nematodes.

【 授权许可】

CC BY