Pike’s (Esox Lucius) Parasitophauna of the River Vyatka

Abstract

This study aims to study the pike (Esox lucius) parasitic fauna in the Vyatka River of the Kirov region. Studies were conducted at two sites in the middle of the river Vyatka in 2016–2018 The distance between them is 300 km. A total of 26 individuals were investigated. Caught specimens of fish were examined for the presence of parasites in accordance with generally accepted methods. Over the entire period of studying the pike parasite fauna in the Vyatka River, 24 different parasite species were recorded by various researchers. As a result of our research, 9 species of parasites were recorded, trematodes – 1 species – Azygia lucii, cestodes – 1 species - Triaenophorus nodulosus, nematodes – 2 species – Сamallanus lacustris, Raphidascaris acus, proboscis worm – 3 species – Acanthocephalus anguillae, Acanthocephalus lucii, Neoechinorhynchus rutili, crustaceans 1 species – Ergasilus sieboldi and glochidia 1 species – Anodonta cygnea. The total infection of pike with all kinds of parasites was 100%, with intestinal species – 66.6%. The high extensiveness of invasion is marked by crustaceans Ergasilus sieboldi – 73.1%. The study provides a comparative analysis of the parasite fauna of the common pike in the Vyatka River over 80 years. There is a tendency to reduce the species diversity of pike parasites from 24 species to 9, the disappearance of some species and the acquisition of new ones – proboscis worm Acanthocephalus anguillae with extensiveness of invasion – 15.4%, intensity of invasion – 5.3 specimen, abundance index – 0.81 specimen. The results obtained allow us to conclude that there is a significant decrease in the species diversity of pike parasites, which is probably due to the influence of the anthropogenic factor.