Th e aim of our study was to update the information on taxonomic diversity and structure of the parasite community of Antarctic rockcod, Notothenia coriiceps in the coastal water off the Argentine Islands (Wilhelm Archipelago, Graham Land, West Antarctica). Th e material for this study was collected in 2014-2015 at the Ukrainian Antarctic station "Akademik Vernadsky". More than 8,500 specimens of parasites from 106 host specimens were collected and identifi ed. All fi shes were found to be infected with helminths; 25 helminth species were identifi ed. Acanthocephalans were recorded in 93.4 % of hosts; eight species of acanthocephalans (Metacanthocephalus rennicki, M. johnstoni, M. campbelli, M. dalmori, Aspersentis megarhynchus, Corynosoma hamanni, C. pseudohamanni, and C. evae) were found. Nematodes were found in 96.2 % of fi shes; larval stages of Pseudoterranova sp., Contraceacum sp., Anisakis sp. and adults Ascarophis nototheniae and Dichelyne fraseri were identifi ed. Trematodes were found in 94.3 % of fi shes; seven species (Macvicaria georgiana, Neolebouria antarctica, Lepidapedon garrardi, Genolinea bowersi, Elytrophalloides oatesi, Lecithaster macrocotyle, Derogenes johnstoni) were identifi ed. Larval stages of cestodes (Diphyllobothrium sp. and tetraphyllidean metacestodes) and the monogenean species Pseudobenedenia nototheniae were found. Our studies revealed signifi cant changes in the structure of the parasite community of N. coriiceps during the last decade.

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Monitoring studies of the species diversity in marine ecosystems provide important data on ecological changes caused by global warming and anthropogenic influence. The present work was aimed to analyze the species diversity of the helminths parasitic in teleost fishes inhabiting the area near the Ukrainian Antarctic Station “Akademik Vernadsky” (Galindez Island, Argentine Islands, West Antarctica). During April–January of 2014–2015 and 2019–2020, 156 specimens of six fish species (Notothenia coriiceps, N. rossii, Chaenocephalus aceratus, Parachaenichthys charcoti,Trematomus bernacchii, and Harpagifer antarcticus) were examined. Totally, 21,166 specimens of 31 helminth species were collected and assigned to five taxonomic groups: Monogenea (1 species), Digenea (10), Nematoda (5), Cestoda (4), and Acanthocephala (11). Twenty-six helminth species were found in N. coriiceps, 14 in N. rossii, 27 in P. charcoti, 23 in Ch. aceratus, 16 in T. bernacchii, and six in H. antarcticus. Larval stages of anisakid nematodes prevailed in the helminth community of Ch. aceratus (66 %) and P. charcoti (40 %), while other fish species were mostly infected with acanthocephalans,trematodes and cestodes. The present data on the species diversity of helminth communities can be used as a baseline for long-term monitoring studies of fish parasites in the region of the Argentine Islands.

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