Spatial and Temporal Distribution of the Asian Fish Tapeworm Bothriocephalus acheilognathi (Cestoda: Bothriocephalidea) in the Rio Grande (Río Bravo del Norte)

Abstract

Recent collections of the Asian fish tapeworm Bothriocephalus acheilognathi in the Rio Grande have raised concern about the potential impacts on Rio Grande endemic and imperiled fishes. The objectives of this study were to determine distribution and definitive hosts of the Asian fish tapeworm within the Rio Grande drainage and to quantify occurrences and abundances. In total, 1,992 fish spanning 11 families were collected and examined for Asian fish tapeworms in the Rio Grande and the Pecos and Devils rivers. The parasite was collected from red shiners Cyprinella lutrensis, Tamaulipas shiners Notropis braytoni, sand shiners N. stramineus, river carpsuckers Carpiodes carpio, plains killifish Fundulus zebrinus, western mosquitofish Gambusia affinis, blue suckers Cycleptus elongatus, blacktail shiners Cyprinella venusta, proserpine shiners Cyprinella proserpina, and Manantial roundnose minnow Dionda argentosa, with the latter four species being new host records. Monthly collections of red shiners from Big Bend National Park exhibited prevalence levels above 15% in January-March and December and below 10% during April-June and October. With over 50% of the Rio Grande icthyofauna in Texas considered imperiled, the occurrence and pathological effects of the Asian fish tapeworm in combination with reduced water quantity and quality and increased habitat fragmentation are of concern for these taxa.

The role of host specificity in explaining the invasion success of the freshwater mussel Anodonta woodiana in Europe

“…A generalist parasite strategy is advantageous during changes in host availability during an invasion, and generalist parasites may quickly become independent of their native hosts. For example, a fishparasitising cestode from East Asia, Bothriocephalus acheilognathi, was introduced globally by the intercontinental export of carp species and now has exploited many native fish species in its novel range, causing significant economic losses in fisheries worldwide (e.g., Bean and Bonner 2010;Brouder and Hoffnagle 1997). We predict that A. woodiana has the potential to invade areas outside the range of their co-invasive native hosts, even if their initial invasion was likely facilitated by the presence of their native hosts.…”

The Discovery of Asian Fish Tapeworm (Schyzocotyle Acheilognathi) and Schyzocotyle Sp. In Western Australia May Pose a Threat to the Health of Endemic Native Fishes

“…by humans, birds, oods etc) to adjacent lentic or lotic systems, this parasite would pose a serious threat to the unique freshwater (and possibly estuarine) sh fauna of south-western WA. Several studies have already shown that AFT can infect sh in environments with low to moderate salinity (Ozturk et al 2002;Bean 2008;Bean and Bonner 2010;İnnal et al 2016;Sara et al 2016;McAllister et al 2017;Güven and Öztürk 2018;Zhokhov et al 2019), and has already threatened the populations of several endemic species in other countries (Salgado-Maldonado and Pineda-López 2003;Choudhury et al 2013).…”

The Asian fish tapeworm (Schyzocotyle acheilognathi) discovered in Western Australia may pose a threat to the health of endemic native fishes

“…to adjacent lentic or lotic systems, this parasite would pose a serious threat to the unique freshwater (and possibly estuarine) fish fauna of south-western WA. Several studies have already shown that AFT can infect fish in environments with low to moderate salinity (Ozturk et al, 2002;Bean, 2008;Bean & Bonner, 2010;İnnal et al, 2016;Sara et al, 2016;McAllister et al, 2017;Güven & Öztürk, 2018;Zhokhov et al, 2019), and has already threatened the populations of several endemic species in other countries (Salgado-Maldonado & Pineda-López, 2003;Choudhury et al, 2006Choudhury et al, , 2013de León et al, 2018).…”