Basic epidemiological data on metazoan parasites of noto-thenioid fish off James Ross Island (Prince Gustav Channel, Weddell Sea), Antarctica

Abstract

During the Czech Antarctic expedition 2014, 102 fish of six species (Trematomus hansoni, T.bernacchii, T. newnesi, Notothenia coriiceps, Parachaenichthys charcoti, Pagothenia borchgrevinki) were examined for parasites. The fish were caught in the Prince Gustav Channel (depth about 5–25 m) off the Johann Gregor Mendel Station on the James Ross Island. Altogether 7,925 metazoan parasites were found, which were identified to individual groups (usually classes). The most abundant were nematode larvae (prevalence 97.0 %, mean abundance 32.7 larvae/per fish), followed by acanthocephalans, especially larvae of species of Corynosoma (76.5%, 14.9) and monogeneans (77.5%, 13.0). Cestodes (Diphyllobothriidea, Tetraphyllidea) were represented by larval stages whereas trematodes only by adults. Our preliminary data may help in future studies on fish parasites in Antarctica because they indicate the most abundant groups of parasites occurring in notothenioid fish