Corynosoma cetaceum in the Stomach of Franciscanas, Pontoporia blainvillei (Cetacea): An Exceptional Case of Habitat Selection by an Acanthocephalan

Abstract

Adult acanthocephalans are typically found in the intestine of vertebrates, where they can readily absorb nutrients. However, Corynosoma cetaceum has been frequently reported in the stomach of cetaceans from the Southern Hemisphere. The ecological significance of this habitat was investigated by examining data on number, sex ratio, maturity status, biomass, and fecundity of C. cetaceum in different parts of the digestive tract of 44 franciscanas Pontoporia blainvillei. Individual C. cetaceum occurred in the pyloric stomach (PS) and, to lesser degrees, in the duodenal ampulla (DA) and the main stomach (MS). Females outnumbered males in all chambers, although the sex ratio was closer to 1:1 in the MS; there also was a higher proportion of nongravid females, with a smaller biomass in the MS than in the PS and the DA. This evidence suggests that cystacanths are released from prey tissues in the MS, where entire prey are reduced to semi-fluid chyme. The 3 chambers harbored gravid females that did not differ significantly in mean biomass or fecundity. The maturity status of females was nearly identical between the PS and the DA. In the MS, the higher proportion of non-gravid females is probably due to the occurrence of newly recruited females to this site. Mean biomass and fecundity of gravid females covaried strongly and positively among chambers within hosts. These results suggest that there are no major differences between the 3 chambers with respect to the suitability for reproduction by C. cetaceum. However, although the MS is the largest chamber, it harbored the smallest number of gravid females. Interestingly, worms were largely restricted to the aboral portion of the MS, a sheltered region where a concentration of chyme, and thus nutrient availability, likely occurs. Linear distribution differences of gravid female C. cetaceum at increasing intensities suggest that reproductive females occupy chambers according to available space. In summary, the stomach should be considered the main habitat for C. cetaceum. The choice of this habitat is puzzling because other Corynosoma species occur in the intestine, and because the stomach of cetaceans is not an absorptive site.Adult acanthocephalans inhabit the digestive tracts of vertebrates (Crompton, 1973). The preferred site for most species is the intestine (especially the middle region [Petrochenko, 1956]), apparently due to their requirement for simple nutrients that can be absorbed across the body wall (Crompton, 1973;Starling, 1985). However, some species infecting fish have been recorded in the stomach (Petrochenko, 1956), possibly because the stomach of fish is known to be a region of nutrient absorption (Crompton, 1973). Within the groups of acanthocephalans infecting birds and mammals, only 2 species, both in the genus Corynosoma, have been reported as adults from the stomach. Corynosoma hamanni was mostly found in the duodenum of Antarctic seals, but about 3% of the component population was found in the pyloric region of the stomach (Zdzitowiecki, 1...

Corynosoma australe Johnston, 1937 and C. cetaceum Johnston & Best, 1942 (Acanthocephala: Polymorphidae) from marine mammals and fishes in Argentinian waters: allozyme markers and taxonomic status

“…cetaceum was also found in A. australis, but all specimens were smaller than those from P. blainvillei and all were juveniles without eggs. This species typically inhabits the stomach of its definitive cetacean hosts (Aznar et al, 2001), but in A. australis it was also found parasitising the intestine. A. australis appears to be an unsuitable or accidental host for C. cetaceum in the study area.…”

Histological patterns of the intestinal attachment of Corynosoma australe (Acanthocephala: Polymorphidae) in Arctocephalus australis (Mammalia: Pinnipedia)

“…Males of Acanthocephala are more active in copulation than females; they move seeking for females to mate with as many as possible (Parshad and Crompton 1981). On the other hand, within taxa such as Acanthocephala the infrapopulation sex ratios are commonly female-biased (Poulin 1997;Aznar et al 2001Aznar et al , 2004 and females Corynosoma spp. have longer life-span than males (Aznar et al 2001) and they migrate intestine posteriad, according to ova maturation (Aznar et al 2004).…”

“…On the other hand, within taxa such as Acanthocephala the infrapopulation sex ratios are commonly female-biased (Poulin 1997;Aznar et al 2001Aznar et al , 2004 and females Corynosoma spp. have longer life-span than males (Aznar et al 2001) and they migrate intestine posteriad, according to ova maturation (Aznar et al 2004). Thus, sexual selection can influence Acanthocephala's spatial distribution (Sinisalo et al 2004) and attach-detach rates.…”

Reduction and variability of trunk spines in the acanthocephalan Corynosoma cetaceum: the role of physical constraints on attachment

“…The developmental and evolutionary importance of physical constraints has been investigated in some organisms with hard skeletons or shells (e.g., Thompson 1961;Seilacher 1970Seilacher , 1991Raup 1972;Hickman 1980;Barel et al 1989;Thomas & Reif 1993;Smits et al 1996, and references therein), but remains largely unstudied in the case of soft-bodied invertebrates, perhaps due to greater complexities of analysis of these animals. This paper deals a Author for correspondence: E-mail: Francisco.Aznar@uv.es with the impact of a physical constraint on the development of trunk spines in the acanthocephalan Corynosoma cetaceum JOHNSTON & BEST, 1942. Adults of C. cetaceum live attached to the stomach and upper intestine of dolphins (Aznar et al 2001). The worms' swollen foretrunk is curved ventrally, forming a spiny disk with the armed proboscis in the center (Fig.…”