Parasite Community Structure of Largemouth Bass, Warmouth, and Bluegill in Lake Fort Smith, Arkansas

Abstract

Fish parasite community structure was studied on largemouth bass, warmouth, and bluegill from Lake Fort Smith, Arkansas during July 1970 through June 1971. Individual diversity () did not fluctuate appreciably on a seasonal basis in any of the hosts. When individual diversity () increased, redundancy (R) tended to decrease, and vice versa. Community diversity () displayed greater seasonal fluctuations than individual diversity (), with highest values in late winter and early spring. There was no significant difference in parasite community structure between sexes of hosts. Community diversity (d) tended to increase with age of hosts. Individual diversity () increased with age of warmouth, but not of largemouth bass and bluegill. Negative correlations between Posthodiplostomum minimum metacercaria and Proteocephalus ambloplitis plerocercoids suggested possible antagonism between these two parasites.

Metazoan Parasite Infracommunities in Five Sciaenids from the Central Peruvian Coast

“…The first definition of a parasitic community was given by Cloutman (1975) who said that it is "the complex of individuals belonging to the different parasite species inhabiting a host". Studies focusing on the structure of parasite communities in marine fish, in terms of diversity, are scarce.…”

Epizootiology of Posthodiplostomum minimum (MacCallum) and Proteocephalus ambloplitis (Leidy) in bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus Rafinesque)

“…Liver fibrosis and intensities of larval parafishes generally contain greater parasite burdens, reduced sites in bluegills levels of prevalence and intensity would be expected in remaining pond 2 fish. Intensity (n) The correlation between age (age-class) and infection inLiver Pericardium tensity in bluegills ( (1 974), and Cloutman ( 1975). Because length of host fish is a direct function of age in normal populations, results of studies by Colley and Olson (1963) and Avault and Allison (1965) also agree with observations on pond 1 bluegills.…”

“…Spall and Summerfelt (1970) found that female white crappies harbored P. minimum infections averaging twice the nurr~bers found in males and also reported that male bluegills, largemouth bass, and longear sunfish exhibited greater prevalence and intensities of P. minimum than females of these species. Host sex was not found to be associated with parasite abundance in an Arkansas impoundment (Cloutman 1975). P .…”

“…Interspecific relationships of P. minimum and P. ambloplitis were calculated in bluegill, largemouth bass, and warmouth by Cloutman (1975). Parasite populations in largemouth bass showed a significant negative correlation; parasite populations in bluegills and warmouths produced nonsignificant negative correlations.…”

“…Liver and pericardial tissues were digested in a pepsin -hydrochloric acid solution (Lewis and Nickum 1964) to release metacercariae for counting. Interspecific interactions between metacercariae of P. minimum and P. ambloplitis plerocercoids cohabiting bluegill hosts were measured by calculating a correlation coefficient (r) (Cloutman 1975). Student's t-test was performed to measure differences in parasite prevalence and mean intensity by host sex and by fish with or without fibrotic livers.…”