Annotated checklist and genetic data for parasitic helminths infecting New Zealand marine invertebrates

Abstract

Parasitic helminths with complex life cycles require multiple hosts in a particular order to complete their life cycles. Although almost all helminths infect invertebrates at some point in their life cycle, we know very little about which species of invertebrates harbor parasites compared with what is known for vertebrates. In New Zealand, <1% of marine invertebrates that may be expected to host parasites have records of parasite infections. This is a strong indication that our knowledge of invertebrate parasites within marine ecosystems is highly limited. Here, we provide the first comprehensive parasite-host checklist including data from the literature and newly discovered infections of parasitic helminths infecting marine invertebrates in New Zealand. Including both pre-existing and newly found data from our survey, we present data on 73 parasite taxa (five acanthocephalans, 13 cestodes, nine nematodes, and 46 trematodes) infecting 62 marine invertebrate species in New Zealand. In addition, we compile existing and new genetic data for many of these parasites, as a useful tool for future studies of parasite biodiversity and phylogenetics.

Large-scale genetic investigation of nematode diversity and their phylogenetic patterns in New Zealand's marine animals

“…We also include data from 4 cephalopod species as they are known intermediate/paratenic hosts for some marine nematodes in New Zealand (Smith et al ., 1981 ). Other invertebrate species were also dissected during this survey, only 1 of which hosted parasitic nematodes; those results are presented in a checklist of parasites infecting New Zealand's marine invertebrates (Bennett et al ., 2022 b ).…”

Acanthocephalan Diversity and Host Associations Revealed from a Large-Scale Biodiversity Survey

“…Between June 2019 and August 2021, the authors dissected a total of 6826 individuals belonging to 168 animal species, which with the aim of characterizing helminth biodiversity in Otago's coastal marine ecosystem, New Zealand. Data regarding other helminth groups are, or will be, published elsewhere (e.g., [17,21,22]). Host individuals were acquired deceased as by-catch or as a by-product of other research, except for a few inter-and sub-tidal fish species collected using hand nets and euthanized under a University of Otago Animal Use Protocol (permit AUP- .…”

“…All host animals were collected from within the Otago coastal marine ecosystem (OCME) as defined by the Otago regional Council [23]. The host taxa dissected included 81 species of vertebrates (31 seabird species, 40 teleost fish species, 9 elasmobranch species, and 1 marine mammal species, see Table 1 of Bennett et al [17]) and 87 invertebrate species (see Bennett et al [21] for a list of invertebrate species investigated).…”

Eco-evolutionary implications of helminth microbiomes

“…Among parasites, helminths are ubiquitous in the terrestrial and marine environment and are especially interesting from an evolutionary perspective, with their many different life stages requiring a combination of invertebrate and vertebrate hosts to complete a life cycle (Bennett et al, 2021(Bennett et al, , 2022. Microbes in direct symbiosis with organisms parasitized by helminths have been reviewed elsewhere and perform many roles, including resistance to the parasites, heat tolerance, diet supplementation, development and immune defence (Dheilly et al, 2015;Reynolds et al, 2015;Brealey et al, 2022).…”